Ankita (name changed), a business executive in a MNC company got up on Monday morning at 5AM with a bad headache. She felt like throwing up and vomited twice by 6AM. When the pain did not come down with a pain killer available at home, she decided to seek help. As her habit since COVID, she googled her symptoms and was alarmed to see brain tumor in the list and worried that she may have a tumor in her head. When she visited the emergency room of the hospital the MRI scan was normal, and the doctor diagnosed her as having migraine headache and suggested treatment. Unsatisfied, Ankita insisted on further tests and consultations to rule out tumor. She underwent PET-CT scans, blood tests and repeat MRIs as she found them to be diagnostic on the internet. Over the ensuing weeks, she was constantly worried, had panic attacks and could not sleep at night. Unable to focus on work, she resigned from job.
Since the COVID pandemic, online health resources or commonly termed Dr. Google have taken a prime position in our lives. While the act of self-diagnosis using Dr. Google is not entirely new, doctors are seeing a phenomenal rise in the use of Dr. Google after COVID. The arrival of ChatGPT has made the information availability in a presentable manner at our fingertips. The reasons for using Dr.Google vary – while some try it out of curiosity, others prefer it to get a sense of control over their health and to better communicate with the doctors. A few uses it as a precautionary measure to prevent misdiagnosis. Anonymous access to information ensuring privacy is an added advantage. While learning more about a disease after being diagnosed by a doctor may be useful, one needs to be cautious while using it for self-diagnosis. It is important to note that online sources vary widely in credibility and do not put the information available into context. While symptom checklist is the first step that doctors use to arrive at a diagnosis, they also incorporate the information about the common conditions in that geographical location, current context in which the symptoms are manifested, genetic and familial vulnerability of the patient in addition to the symptoms that the patient is presenting. In addition to this, a wealth of information is added when a doctor examines the patient. Due to the complex interaction between these factors, diagnosis is a skill that a doctor masters over time. While generative artificial intelligence like ChatGPT has made leaps of progress, they lack the ability to synthesize the information and a humane touch.
Health care professionals also warn about the detrimental effects of increased use of health care resources. Often self-diagnosis leads to increased anxiety and fear. Cyberchondria, defined as high health anxiety arising from use of internet resources, is on the rise. It is the belief of having a serious disease, often without a matching medical condition. On the other hand, self-misdiagnosis is also a danger, as it often results in people not seeking treatment. Cyberchondria often results in increased stress on both the patient and doctors, and increased costs fortreatments that may not be necessary.
The reality is that online health search cannot be prevented. Those referring to Dr. Google should be aware of the pitfalls, confirm information found online with a doctor, open to suggestions and remember that no online resource is a replacement for a doctor’s visit. In this era of information overload, it is also important to look for credible online sources of information. Some useful sources are
• The National Institutes of Health (http://nih.gov/health-information)
• American Diabetes Association (http://diabetes.org)
• The U.S. Library of Medicine (http://medlineplus.gov)
• The American Academy of Family Physicians (http://familydoctor.org)
The article is authored by Dr. Naren P Rao, Senior consultant Psychiatrist, Kauvery Hospital, Electronic City, Bangalore
