The Impact of Cyberchondria on Health Anxiety

Abstract

With solutions come problems, with greater advancements in technologies came the associated issues with it. When an individual feels the slightest bit of an issue related to their health, be it a headache or any kind of bodily pain, the first thing that they do is search on the internet about it. While some searches are very accurate to the exact situation that they are facing, there are some t that basically state something so dramatic or over horrifying that the individual feel this rush of nervousness, restlessness, and a failed ability to breathe, all in all resulting in anxiety. The main aim of the current research is to study the impact of Cyberchondria on health anxiety. This can interfere with an individual’ daily life functions, creates avoidance behaviors where regular health checkups are avoided and few individuals end up engaging in excessive use of healthcare services. Cyberchondria comes from two words: “Cyber” and “chondria.” “Cyber” refers to the computer or the internet and “chondria” which itself completes the words “hypochondria,” it is the condition where people excessively worry about their health even when there are no signs of poor health so cyberchondria is a combination of both the words and is a serious condition in the real world that needs to be paid attention to.