Are You a Cyberchondriac?
According to a Harris Interactive poll, 160 million Americans use the Internet to seek out health diagnoses and information. 74 percent of those polled have looked up medical information more than once in the last month. Harris calls them (us), 'cybercondriacs'. In just two years, the number of 'cybercondriacs' has increased 37 percent from 136 million people to its current level of 160 million people.
160 million represents a whopping 71 percent of all Web surfers. So what do you say -- are you willing to cop to being a 'cybercondriac?' Do you stay up at night clicking for your next illness?
From geeksugar
Related Links:
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Gayle @ Aug 7th 2007 7:54PM
What an odd spin to put on looking up med info. We took care of a dying friend for several months - and believe me, we looked up tons of info! We are so grateful to HAVE the internet!
michele @ Aug 8th 2007 5:07AM
Now-a-days physicians either suggest their patients research their diagnosis on the internet, or will give them print outs of the same. And in this day and age of HMOs, and as a health care giver, I am adamant EVERYONE should be their own health advocate and educate themselves rather than putting blind trust into our failing health system here in the US. The person responsible for writing this article needs to educate themselves before they regret it.
Scott @ Aug 8th 2007 8:19AM
hmmm.. 160 million people are Cybercondriacs?
or is it really 160 people, looking up information,... a million times?
Heather @ Sep 23rd 2007 3:27AM
I highly doubt that 160 million people are cyberchondriacs. It makes more sense to think that, most if not all of those people are smart responsible people who are trying to educate themselves about something in relation to them, their family or friends. Believe it or not most everyone in this world propably has some illness that they haven't a clue about. So, if while educating themselves about something for a completely different reason, they find out that they themselves have an illness they came across while studying is not that hard to believe. More & more scientists & doctors are finding out that many people have depression but don't know it & now they finding out that most people who have depression are also bi-polar. So searching for or just running across we can't state for certain. I see nothing wrong with people educating themselves & I don't think you have the right to start calling these people cyberchondriacs for it.