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Taryn Large

November 15, 2020

Professor Bell

Self-Diagnosis

Generation Z is known for using the internet for things such as advice, communicating

with different people and looking up information schools/parents do not mention. A part of this

information is medical advice. But, how does this advice hurt those who use it every single time

they have an ache or pain? This question rang in my head for years, and I have been known to

look up why a certain area of my foot was hurting or why my stomach was queasy. Many people

self-diagnose mental disorders because of social media and mental disorder awareness that you

can do a quick Google search and see thousands of results. What are those who struggle with

mental disorders this large community can be so beneficial and calming for those who are not

properly diagnosed by a professional. It can be anxiety inducing and frustrating for those

struggling with the illness to see so many people self diagnosing themselves based on very little

information. not only have I been known to self diagnosed with physical issues but I know a few

people who have self diagnosed with mental issues and those who struggle with those mental

issues in are clinically diagnosed are incredibly hurt and upset with the people who are

self-diagnosed because most times the self-diagnosis is incorrect and the people don't truly

understand what you real feeling of that disorder feels like. However, how does this

self-diagnosis change the behaviors of people and the relationship between medical professionals

and patients? Many medical professionals openly stated that through the internet use patients

have spoken to them differently and have had fewer visits or more visits.

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The internet is a great place for funny videos, staying connected with those old friends

and information. From how to fix a lightbulb to trigonometry, the internet can teach someone

anything. This also means that the internet holds medical information. Now, the medical field is

always changing, however websites are not always reupdating the information found on it. THis

causes old, outdated information to appear when someone searches about anything. Old

information on medical health leads to harmful effects of that person who takes the information

to heart and does not consult a medical professional. This self-diagnosis can cause behaviors to

negatively and positively change in people. This is through how they speak to their medical

professionals, what treatments are done, and how overall, they presume their health is.

“Self-diagnosis” is a term used to explain the act of self determining the state of health

without professional advice or input. This term can be used to describe the use of the internet to

look up medical advice, another person or past experiences. In this essay, the use of the internet

will be the primary focus.

But, why self diagnose? Many people that are part of the older generations don't

understand going to the internet to find their answers above the professionals idea. The answer

to why people self-diagnose instead of seeing a health professional or before seeing how

professional it's quite simple. As humans we love to be in control and going out of our way to do

a simple symptom search to find out what kind of severity are issues might greatly affect how we

feel going into a doctor visit. So self diagnosing before seeing a healthcare professional can ease

anxiety and worry for a visit of some kind which then takes stress off the individual. Another

reason self-diagnosing is so popular is because many do not have the ability to go to the doctor

and see them regularly. That being said if this person can research online what their symptoms

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are, it can judge the severity of their symptoms that might warrant a doctor visit or that might

not.

Self diagnosis using the internet can come down to a few things. These can include the

use of online websites such as WebMD and other symptom search bars. or people can use blogs

pictures Anna videos made about certain diseases illnesses and disorders. While some sources

can be beneficial towards understanding how to deal mentally with any illness or disease it can

be very harmful and worrying towards those who don't know what they're looking at or

understand what they're searching. taking what you read online seriously when it comes to that

only many news and social aspects but also especially with your health can cause unnecessary

worry and anxiety. Many medical professionals state that if anxiety and worry are present,

schedule a visit to talk through with your own doctor and understand if that worry and anxiety is

necessary and soothe any unnecessary worry and anxiety.

The lines between good and bad in this issue are blurred. The saying “too much of one

thing can be bad” is very true in this case (HANEY). There is no perfect way to self-diagnosis

and because many do not have access to proper medical care, it is impossible to say not to

self-diagnosis. One of the benefits of self-diagnosing is the cost. Most people have access to the

internet in one way or another, as mentioned before, not many have access to the right medical

care or cannot afford it regularly. This means that a quick internet search of symptoms to make

sure it is nothing serious can be a huge benefit. Also, self-diagnosing causes people to be more in

control of their health. Playing an active role in what is going on health-wise can help treatment

in the long run. Like being in control of your health care, self diagnosing allows for patients to

understand whether or not their symptoms are severe enough to warrant a visit to the doctor to

urgent care or the emergency room. Understanding symptoms can direct someone to a specific

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office or facility and if someone should visit a facility at all. Some Healthcare professionals

like self-diagnosing because when a patient visits their office after researching their symptoms it

can make the visit a lot smoother and could have he's some anxiety the patient might have had

with the symptoms they were experiencing.

The main reason as to why health professionals have issues with self-diagnosis is

because people use the internet to replace Healthcare Professionals in their lives. This can lead to

severe issues with treatment and finding the actual cause of the symptoms. Many Websites are

outdated and have old information. because of this treatments that used to be okay that have now

been declared as life-threatening or harmful are still being given through the website for

symptoms that people may search up. Another issue Healthcare professionals have with

self-diagnosis is many different injuries or health issues share common symptoms this can be a

problem in multiple cases with misdiagnosis or treating something someone doesn't have.

problems can also include someone believing they have a more severe illness man what they

truly have. An example of this would be if you searched up headaches many different very

severe illnesses and diagnosis pop up as the very first results and more common less severe

illnesses appear after. To fix these problems many different Health officials say if you search up

your symptoms to take the information like a grain of sand and consult your Healthcare

professional before going about treatment.

Self-diagnosis can cause patients to be over worried about their own health because they

hear so many stories and can see so many illnesses online are terrible and have terrible

repercussions and share some symptoms with how they're feeling. This can cause patients to

visit doctors offices more frequently for minimal to no illnesses or issues relating to health. Find

some cases self-diagnosis can catch something severe; it is more common for people to be

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worried over small things or general anxiety over their help for no reasons at all. In the same

case can cause people to believe they know more than the medical professional makes doctor

visits incredibly difficult for both parties to come to an agreement on what needs to be done.

This can affect how quickly somebody heals and if they heal it all.

No study has been conducted over the behavior changes after somebody has

self-diagnosed using the internet however many hypothesize that people who take the results

they searched up seriously are more likely to begin feeling other symptoms that may relate to

what they saw online. These symptoms are not faked truly the person feels those symptoms but

it is a subconscious reaction to finding a mold to fit in because they want a solid answer.Others

hypothesize that self diagnosing does not change behaviors at all in a person would it does is

either distress or increase anxiety over one's Health which in the long run can be detrimental.

Either way is very evident at self-diagnosing without proper background knowledge or proper

research with a healthcare professional can be a very harmful practice.

Many argue that there are no harmful ways that self-diagnosing affects humans. I support

this idea by stating 80% of those who self-diagnose consult a healthcare professional afterwards

and follow-up treatment after that visit. however what happens to those 20% of people who just

listen to what is online and treat themselves without consulting a healthcare professional?

Another issue with this viewpoint is that it does not explain whether or not at 8% of people

follow through with the treatment their doctor gives them or if they use a treatment found online.

Another person might suggest that outdated treatments people would realize when self

diagnosing online and avoid because of the harmful effects they know happen. Pascal also be

proven as wrong because the medical field is always changing information on a person's medical

health is also always changing and the general public doesn't always hear about these changes

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So practicesThat used to be proven as good and beneficial to human health in the last 10 years

might have changed drastically in the general public did not hear of that change.

Both ideas of self-diagnosis whether it is good or bad have one thing in common.

Healthcare professionals always believe that balance between self-diagnosis and communicating

with a professional is the best way to understand and be involved in your own health (Lowell).

Bouncing self-diagnosis with communication to a healthcare professional can include looking up

your symptoms prior to your visit to either calm anxiety or understand we're Healthcare

professional might be talking about(Jenny). Another way someone might be able to include

themselves into their own health is researching after a visit to the doctor to understand their

illness or diagnosis better ways to treat that diagnosis if the website is up to date.

Understanding the way the internet works and how to use it properly and look for

scholarly recent sources can also benefit self-diagnosis. disconnecting self-diagnosis is easier

and safer for you. (“Feeling Ill? Don’t Call Dr Google; Dangers of Self-Diagnosis

Online.”)Consulting with a healthcare professional before trying new treatments found online

can make self-diagnosis safer and cheaper because a single phone call is cheaper than an entire

visit(Dubicka).

Healthcare professional degree but the internet has changed the way patients speak to

them and has changed the overall knowledge somebody has of their own health. This can be For

Better or For Worse understanding how to use this properly and how to understand how the

internet works is the easiest way to be involved in your own health and understand your

diagnosis better.

Overall one can see the benefits and disadvantages to self-diagnosing using online

resources. because of the outdated information, incorrect or changeable information and unclear

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or confusing words used can clearly affect how someone deals with treatment and how they

recover from their health issue. self diagnosing in small, less severe cases can be helpful in

reducing anxiety and stress pain patients who are going into a doctor visit, can dictate whether

or not someone sees a doctor, and gives a patient the feeling of control over their own health and

well-being.

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Dubicka, Bernadka. “'Self Diagnosis Trivialises Severe Mental Disorders'.” Mental Health

Today, 11 Feb. 2019,

www.mentalhealthtoday.co.uk/blog/teach-me-well/self-diagnosis-trivialises-severe-menta

l-disorders.

Gass, Meghan Alesia, "Risks and Benefits of Self-Diagnosis Using the Internet" (2016). Honors

Theses. 96.

https://digitalcommons.salemstate.edu/honors_theses/96

Farnood, Annabel, et al. “A Mixed Methods Systematic Review of the Effects of Patient Online

Self-Diagnosing in the ‘Smart-Phone Society’ on the Healthcare Professional-Patient

Relationship and Medical Authority.” BMC Medical Informatics & Decision Making, vol. 20,

no. 1, Oct. 2020, p. N.PAG. Sinclair Library

http://sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=tr

ue&db=a9h&AN=146301449&site=eds-live

“Feeling Ill? Don’t Call Dr Google; Dangers of Self-Diagnosis Online.” The Mirror (London,

England), 2016. Sinclair Library,

http://sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=tr

ue&db=edsgin&AN=edsgcl.470459210&site=eds-live

HANEY, LISA. “Is It Normal...?” Scholastic Choices, vol. 34, no. 2, Oct. 2018, pp.

20–23.Sinclair Library,

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http://sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=tr

ue&db=a9h&AN=131763382&site=ehost-live.

Jutel, Annemarie. “Self-Diagnosis: A Discursive Systematic Review of the Medical Literature.”

Journal of Participatory Medicine, 24 Aug. 2011,

participatorymedicine.org/journal/evidence/research/2010/09/15/self-diagnosis-a-discursi

ve-systematic-review-of-the-medical-literature/.

“Issues and Dangers of Self-Diagnosis.” Dual Diagnosis,

dualdiagnosis.org/dual-diagnosis-treatment/dangers-self-diagnosis/. Purdue University.

"Patients' self-diagnosis of personality disorders not as far off as previously believed."

ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 11 June 2018.

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/06/180611144122.htm

Johnson, Jennifer. “Local Experts Weigh the Dangers, Benefits of Self-Diagnosis via Online

Sources Such as WebMD.” Grand Forks Herald (ND), 23 Nov. 2014.Sinclair Library,

http://sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=tr

ue&db=nfh&AN=2W63092684217&site=eds-live

Jenny Shand. “Dangers of Self Diagnosis.” Geelong Advertiser, Nov. 2012, p. 13.Sinclair

Library,

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http://sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=tr

ue&db=bwh&AN=201211295013041920&site=eds-live

Lowell M. “Consumer Trends in Self Diagnosis, Home Testing and over the Counter

Medication: Implications for the Registered Nurse.” Kansas Nurse, vol. 70, no. 5, May 1995, pp.

1–2. Sinclair Library,

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ccm&AN=107418917&site=eds-live