I experienced this myself, and now I very often read in letters from readers: A person has fallen ill with something serious, he is facing some terrible test, surgery, therapy, rehabilitation, he goes to the Internet to collect information (commendable curiosity, I want to be informed) and regrets that he stuck his nose there. Because, after reading horror stories, you begin to be afraid of everything. Horror, horror, what people have not experienced, what medical errors don't happen. How hard and bad everything can be, where they promise it will be easy and simple. It's scary to live. Very!
This happened to me when I was facing one of the most heavy operations. The doctors explained everything as best they could, but I was still scared: there was a week between the conversation about the operation and the operation itself, they sent me home, and so I sat and thought about what was coming. I was scared: there was a lot of unknowns. It is not clear how likely it is that something will not work out. And it’s not very clear how to live after. How long will it take for everything to go back to the way it was? And will it happen at all?
I went online and read this!
Some people write there: “You think it’s all so simple! This is what the doctors say! But in fact, for the absolute majority, everything is much worse! Look, read this one, and this one - people didn’t sleep for months, screaming in pain, They couldn’t eat, they slept sitting up... And horrors, horrors. Stories of some kind of torment lasting months and years. Repeated operations, new and new problems added, symptoms, incurable consequences.
The forum demoralized me completely. It was clear that they were writing from people who knew what they were talking about - they had experienced it all, and there were many of them. I couldn’t even believe that it was possible to survive all this, not to mention the hope of remaining a more or less normally functioning person after all.
When I came for the operation, I was completely intimidated, but I didn’t say anything. Once again I listened to a lecture about the risks and possible consequences, signed all the papers, and rushed to pray. :-)
After the operation I walked on the second day. A couple of days later I was given a cup of tea and a cracker, and the surgeon who visited me a hundred times a day said that he had not seen such a successful specimen for a long time - and everything was healing so quickly.
They explained to me that there is no point in lying around - the more you walk, the faster the condition improves - and I walked along the hospital corridor back and forth, counting circles: 10... 20...
After 10 days I was home. After a month and a half, I forgot about everything.
And I remembered with horror how they intimidated me. How afraid and trembling I was. Oh, I wish I hadn’t read all this.
Later I told this story to my oncologist, and received one of best advice: Do not go to forums about such issues!
Yes, there are a lot of people there who have had real experience. Yes, you can find out a lot of details there. But there is one very big drawback! People who have big problems that haunt them and that they want to talk about.
It just so happens that the forums do not gather, to put it mildly, the happiest cases.
Forums magically attract those who have big problems!
Maybe their percentage is not so large - but they all gather there. And when there are a lot of them, it’s scary.
People who have undergone some kind of treatment and immediately forgot about it go about their own business and don’t go to forums. They don't seek advice from others. They don't want to talk about it. They are actively occupied with the most important thing - they strive to forget about their test as quickly as possible, displacing thoughts about it with any other thoughts.
This is why forums often turn out to be a bunch of unfortunate people, horror stories which we are better off not reading.
As for people who have successfully survived some kind of test: they also often want to express themselves and process their experience. People want to share success stories. Stories about how bad they were and how they got out of it. But more often than not, they don’t go “drowning” their stories in bottomless forums. They write about their experiences on their website, in blogs, some (as we know) even write books about their experiences.
It is stories with a “happy ending” (whatever it may be) that people want to share on their personal resources.
People who want to tell the world their success story “broadcast” from their platform, becoming there in the position of the master of the situation, distributing advice and information. They have already found some way out. They have recipes on how to deal with this and fix it. This is what they want to share.
Therefore, if you want to learn something good about your problem, look for stories from those who have experienced it in their private resources.
Look for those who brag. Who wants to tell the whole world. Yes, look for them on Google, on YouTube, in the simplest ways. That's right: those who shout the loudest are the most optimistic.
:-)
Here it is (see below): she survived, built a website, shared recipes, and opened her own store. A medical history that changed life for the better (as strange as it sounds). These are the ones you should read.
None of us have ever experienced a headache, a sudden increase in blood pressure, and a rise in temperature. And, instead of making an appointment with a doctor, you go to search engines and you start Googling symptoms. After about 30 minutes you realize that you are terminally ill and urgently need to write a will and save up money for a funeral. True, the doctor does not agree with you and says that it is a common cold. It turns out that this phenomenon even special term yes - cyberchondria. We figured out what it is and why it is dangerous.
Doctor "Yandex"
Previously, when our stomach started to hurt, we went to the doctor or took painkillers. And now we go to “Yandex” or “Google” and start typing “my stomach hurts, what is this”, “stabbing pain in my side, how long do I have left”. Instead of logical explanations (eating too much fatty and heavy food), a person begins to read about serious illnesses. And now he already finds symptoms of Crohn's disease, acute pancreatitis or stomach cancer. Our poor user understands that he has at least several serious and incurable diseases. This is how cyberchondria begins.
What is cyberchondria?
Cyberchondria is emotional disorder, in which the patient compulsively searches the Internet for information about his imaginary or real disorders. Essentially, this is the same as ordinary hypochondria ( obsessive fear contract an incurable disease), only it is expressed by searching for information on the Internet. So far, cyberchondria is not a disease, but hypochondriacal disorder is included in the international classification of diseases. This condition can also be one of the symptoms of depression.
Am I a cyberchondriac or just curious?
Don’t worry if you’ve googled your condition a couple of times and read all sorts of things. Most likely you are not a hypochondriac, but simply curious. However, if this condition is obsessive and you do this, if not daily, then weekly, then you should think about it. Here are 6 signs that you are a cyberchondriac:
- You are constantly worried about your health. Anxiety is not related to the fact that you are actually sick with something, but the thoughts are so obsessive that you think about it even at work or while watching a movie. Sometimes such conditions can develop into panic attacks.
- You spend a lot of time searching for information about diseases on the Internet. At the same time, ordinary sites like Wikipedia no longer satisfy you and you even read medical textbooks.
- You know diseases (and their symptoms) that others are unaware of. You can easily carry on a conversation with doctors about the strangest and rarest cases.
- On medical websites, you undergo online diagnostics from time to time. And, of course, you diagnose all your illnesses.
- You don't trust doctors. Even experienced ones. Even paid. None of them found any suspicious symptoms in you, so you begin to consider them ignoramuses.
- If you suspect that you are sick with something, then this is always the best terrible disease with a high probability of death.
Why is cyberchondria dangerous?
Of course, being interested in your health is not a bad thing, but it is important to understand that cyberchondria is an obsessive condition that takes up your time and nerves. Remember that all illnesses really come from nerves, so there is a chance that you will actually get sick with something. According to statistics, 32% of diseases are psychosomatic. So cancer from nerves is a very real threat.
The second danger of cyberchondria is a lack of trust in official medicine. So you might really miss serious illness. A simple situation: on the Internet, a cyberchondriac can find an incorrect explanation for abdominal pain. Instead of turning to specialists, he will “treat” an imaginary poisoning or “die” from a cancer that he does not have.
Another danger is wasting money on unconventional treatment methods. Homeopaths, psychics, anti-vaxxers, herbalists - all these people will extract money from you, although you will not receive any treatment. Unless the placebo effect works.
What to do?
Of course, obsessive desires are not so easy to give up. But if you have discovered signs of cyberchondriac, then we advise:
- Stop surfing the net. You will have to put in a lot of effort, but after a couple of weeks you will realize that the diseases are receding.
- Make an appointment with a psychotherapist. 3-4 sessions will help identify the reasons for this obsessive-compulsive disorder and get rid of them. Rest assured, no one will put you in a mental hospital or register you.
- Find a good doctor. If your experience with doctors is terrible, then find good specialist V private clinic, which will tell you why your stomach hurts, your eyes water and your neck itches.
Guys, we put our soul into the site. Thank you for that
that you are discovering this beauty. Thanks for the inspiration and goosebumps.
Join us on Facebook And In contact with
Most often, hypochondriacs behave as follows:
- Constantly feel pain in different parts bodies.
- They try to diagnose the disease on their own, and the result is always disappointing and the disease turns out to be very severe or even fatal.
- They regularly examine their body for diseases and monitor their temperature, blood pressure and pulse.
- They often visit doctors, but do not get relief from the fact that the imaginary diagnosis has not been confirmed. They require a repeat examination from the doctor.
- Experience an obsessive desire to discuss their symptoms with friends, relatives and colleagues.
- Study medical literature and cases from medical practice. Searching for symptoms on the Internet becomes a real obsession.
By the way, Hollywood diva Jennifer Lawrence admitted in an interview that she is a hypochondriac and often googles symptoms. And Megan Fox claims that she has a lot of phobias and obsessions, so hypochondria is just trifles compared to all this.
Why do people become hypochondriacs?
Hypochondria does not develop empty space. There are factors that can trigger the onset of the disease.
- Stress. Strong nervous tension may provoke the development of hypochondria. Exams, troubles in the family or at work often lead to the appearance of terrible thoughts about fatal diseases.
- The theory of hypersensitivity. According to this theory, there are people who feel the slightest changes in the state of their body. Ordinary things that are less sensitive person would not pay any attention, for them it becomes a real test.
- Postural theory. Proponents of this theory claim that incorrect posture and spinal curvature are the causes of pain. unknown origin, which patients with hypochondria complain about.
- Cyberchondria. Fear of getting sick after watching a movie or TV show about illness. Doctors say that the Internet aggravates the symptoms of hypochondria, and recommend not to Google information about the signs of certain diseases. Hands off the keyboard!
- Genetic predisposition. The human autonomic nervous system consists of 3 components - the sympathetic, parasympathetic and metasympathetic systems. An imbalance between them can lead to the development of many diseases. In particular, an imbalance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems can lead to a susceptibility to nervous disorders.
Simply put, the sympathetic nervous system puts our body on alert, and the parasympathetic nervous system turns off the alarm - it lowers the pulse and slows down the heartbeat, but if parasympathetic system becomes weaker, the balance is disturbed, which leads to increased anxiety.
- Family factor. Parents who are overly concerned about their health or the health of their children are likely to raise hypochondriacs. Increased anxiety in the family it provokes a tendency of children to depressive and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
PHOTO Getty Images
“Nikita was four years old when he was diagnosed with malignant tumor brain. The cancer progressed rapidly, and after six days he stopped walking. I urgently took Nikita for surgery at the Burdenko Institute. Doctors removed the formation and prescribed a course radiation therapy. After the operation, Nikita suffered from pneumonia. Then he forgot everything he had learned in childhood, stopped getting up, talking, eating: he could only lie and scream. As a result of radiation therapy, fungi grew on the mucous membranes. But Nikita overcame everything, recovered and has been in remission for nine years now. We went through all the trials together.
Myth No. 1: Oncology is a death sentence
First of all, I found statistics on the Internet: with our diagnosis, 30% of children die in the first year, 40% live another two or three years, the remaining 30% live a maximum of five years. And there was no more information. It became scary. But the neurosurgeon reassured me: “Why do you need statistics? You will never guess which group you will end up in and how lucky you will be. You just need to know for sure that everything will be fine with you. And this knowledge can be passed on to the child.” Yes, this is exactly the vector all mothers in the hospital need. First, the child must be cured, then rehabilitated, and no one except the mother will do this. Oncology is curable: we have been proving this for nine years.
Myth #2: You have to keep everything to yourself
It’s better not to cry in front of children, it’s true, but you can’t lock all the pain inside yourself. Emotions must be given an outlet: everyone can find a suitable way. When Nikita was sick, I took it from somewhere, which should be like flint, with a core inside. It was impossible to explain to my son then what oncology was, but he perfectly understood what was wrong with him, he literally read it from me. And I decided that if I don’t turn sour, then he won’t feel bad either.
Myth #3: Diagnosis is a punishment
When trouble happens, we involuntarily begin to look for someone to blame. And if there is no one to blame, we blame ourselves. We ask: for what? But there is no reason, and there is no need to look for one. It is worth thinking about what to change in yourself in order to change what is around you. Someone turns to the church, someone starts helping others. When Nikita felt better, I began to visit sick children, bring them gifts, and help their mothers. We must try to perceive illness not as a misfortune, but as a misunderstanding.
Myth #4: You need to follow instructions blindly
You always need to understand what is happening to the child, what treatment he is prescribed and why. For example, therapists in clinics are “afraid” of children in remission. As soon as Nikita catches a runny nose, the doctor prescribes antibiotics. Then I take my son to general analysis blood and make sure that everything is fine: you can get by with the usual cold remedies. But to make such a decision, you need courage - to take responsibility for your son’s health. You can't put a child under a glass dome forever. Cannot be healed or, conversely, missed important symptoms. You need to trust the doctor and keep the disease under your own control.
Myth #5: Everyone will be on your side
This is wrong. And you need to be prepared for the fact that parents of sick children have to do a lot themselves. Moms never complain. They don’t sleep at night, notice how the medicine drips, learn to change the saline solution, and begin to understand the drugs and dosages. Sometimes they buy medicine themselves (for example, so that a child does not feel sick from chemotherapy) if the hospital does not have it.
Myth No. 6: Everything is forgiven for a sick child
Of course, there are circumstances that are beyond us. For example, Nikita at one time could not eat anything except fast food. He vomited other foods. He was losing weight, and with weight his blood counts were falling. And I fed him hamburgers: it was a vital necessity. But I never allowed my son to sit on my neck, I did not allow him to be lazy and pretend. If he felt well, we read, walked, studied. Both then and now he is an ordinary child for me.
Myth No. 7: Such children do not have a normal future.
When a child goes into remission, some mothers believe that they must surround him with total care. Of course, the child develops many limitations and his tests need to be constantly monitored, but this does not at all relate to his socialization. The child must grow up, get an education, a profession, fall in love... When we left the hospital, I simply didn’t know what to do. Nikita didn’t talk, didn’t laugh, closed himself off and didn’t even communicate with his younger brother. At some point, we were advised of rehabilitation programs conducted by charitable foundation"Sheredar". Nikita was offered to leave for two weeks Kid `s camp. It was very difficult for me to let him go, but then I never regretted it. Nikita returned, and I didn’t recognize him: he came so sublime, airy, began to ask questions, began to laugh out loud and even mischief. Fell in love for the first time, with a counselor. In a word, I became an ordinary child again.
There are no “special” children. It all depends on the parents. The child must learn to give more freedom. Some people don’t do this even with healthy children. I remember one day Nikita went to an aircraft modeling course. He calls in the evening and says: “Mom, I’ll take a walk with the boys and come back.” It’s dark outside, the yard is different, I don’t know these boys. But I allowed it and endured it for twenty minutes. I called, and he was already on his way home. It's hard to get used to, but I'm fine healthy child. Who will someday learn to live without me.”
If 10 years ago a sick person could be found in line to see a doctor, today you are more likely to find him on the Internet. There, by typing symptoms into a search engine, you can get a diagnosis, a treatment regimen, and a lot of related advice from “experienced” people - and all this is free.
It would seem, why not? On the Internet you can clarify the situation in a matter of minutes, and you don’t have to go to the doctor.
And if necessary, then one does not interfere with the other. However, the understandable desire to quickly find out what is happening with health may well result in cyberchondria. The word is new, but the problem, as it turns out, is old - according to the candidate of medical sciences Igor Dorozhenko, senior research fellow Science Center mental health RAMS, we are talking about a modern type of hypochondria:
– For example, a person prone to anxiety visited a region where there was an epidemic, then read about it in the newspaper, became afraid of infection and went to be examined. After making sure that he is healthy, such a patient will calm down. And there is a form of hypochondria, which is mental disorder: a person does not calm down, continues to look for “good” doctors, finds confirmation of certain diseases in himself and is constantly being treated.
So, experts talk about cyberchondria when a person goes to the Internet not looking for an answer to why he may have pain in his right side, but begins to try it on himself different symptoms and illness. On the list of causes for side pain, he will skip overeating and concentrate on liver cancer.
By the way, most doctors don’t see anything wrong with the idea of getting medical information online. Although some people can’t stand smart people who read the Internet: instead of taking a prescription and going to follow the doctor’s instructions, they start asking questions and arguing. Fortunately, some are not all.
“When people are savvy about their illness, many specialists have a positive attitude towards this,” says psychiatrist Igor Dorozhenok. – But if a person is not just interested in health issues, but has painful, obsessive anxiety, it’s worth thinking about.
Should you look for answers online?
Doctor of Medical Sciences, neurologist Alexey Danilov, head of the Association of Interdisciplinary Medicine:
– You can and sometimes even need to go to the Internet for answers. With one important caveat. This should be verified information from specialists high level. There are academic medical resources where you can find reliable information about a wide variety of problems, diagnostic methods and treatments. For example, sites paininfo.ru (about pain syndromes), cnsinfo.ru (about depression and diseases nervous system), braineco.ru (about brain diseases, dementia) were created by professors from leading medical institutes. Doctors often conduct free consultations or schools - for example, as neurologists from the Headache Center of the Department of Nervous Diseases of the MMA named after. Sechenov. In this case, there is a guarantee that patients receive adequate knowledge and valuable information.
If people are looking for information on obscure sites filled out by unknown “experts,” there is a high risk of stumbling upon scammers. A US survey found that 8 out of 10 users search for health information online and 75 percent do not even check where the data comes from. It happens that they are provided by people who offer “healing” services in order to extract money.
