With the growing influx of information available on the Internet, more people now decide when they can access different variations of information, and what content they choose to research. One of the critical and often life-saving practices available on the Internet is the extensive reach of medical knowledge. Internet sites such as Web MD offer lists of symptoms and complications leading to an immediate response to check a website the instant one feels under the weather or wishes to know how to treat an ailment. Due to the ambivalent and extensive rhetoric of medical websites, people now have the ability to self diagnose themselves, and most often the diagnose is for an illness they do not have, creating paranoia and a new age of hypochondriacs. In addition, the media may often prime and make aware rare and horrifying illnesses, thus aiding in the paranoia and distrustful nature of hypochondriacs. Therefore, this paper will argue the accessibility and widespread exigence and rhetoric of Internet medical websites and forums creates the medicalization of a new type of hypochondria defined as a cyberchondria, which has further led to a rise in paranoia, anxiety, and trust in inaccurate Internet sources.
To understand the nature of the Internet medical rhetoric that prompts and creates stress on those who misdiagnose themselves, it thus becomes critical to look at the origins of hypochondria. Originally “hypochondrium” can be traced back to Hippocrates, and “had an anatomical emphasis- indicating the area under (hypo) the cartilage of the ribs (chondros) and referred to digestive disorders of the liver, spleen, and gallbladder” (Groopman, 2003, p.2). The actual word “hypochondria” in the seventeenth century described a melancholic d...
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As with any phenomenon, psychology must be interpreted to be understood (Burton, Westen and Kowalski, 2012, p. 3). Many physicians, physiologists and psychologists, such as Sigmund Freud, John Locke, Ivan Pavlov, and B. F. Skinner respectively, have developed and contributed to their own psychological perspectives which have carried on to the present day. This essay will explore the fundamental ideas, similarities and differences and strengths and weaknesses of both the psychodynamic perspective and the behaviourist perspective. This essay will then shift focus to internet addiction – what it is and how it can be explained. An intervention will then be developed for an individual suffering from internet addiction based on the behaviourist perspective.
The cause of hypochondria is unknown. Hypochondriacs do not make up their symptoms on purpose. The severity in which a person pe...
Currently, there are numerous issues about a lot of man-made activities. One of the most controversial man made objects that people talk about is the Internet. The spectrum of available content is steadily increasing and some members of society are agreeing that some of the content is hazardous, as it is delivered in an explicit manner. This content is also not in agreement with some of societies morals. There are multiple research studies that show how the Internet negatively affects humans in society emotionally and socially, educationally, medically and morally.
Social media is changing the way that doctors and patients communicate. It is reshaping health care with the help of modern technical innovations such as internet connectivity, smart phones, tablets, and desktops. This ranges from patient support groups to instant messaging (Aishwarya, 2012:[sp]). Media usage has evolved over the last few years and research in this field has shown how children’s psychological factors are linked to social media (Heim, et al, 2007:49). These factors suggest that the internet is a powerful communication tool that not only connects children with others but also empowers them by providing a learning environment and social support (Heim, et al, 2007:52-53). A rapid and innovated advance in social media offers numerous opportunities for modifying health behaviour by allowing the users to conduct research, review previous experiences, seek out medical advice, and lets users choose whether they would like to be identified or anonymous. Although there is a considerable potential for these media tools such as, video chat, weblogs and social networks, this media usage, requires careful application with regards to how the information is used, and may not always give the desired results when seeking medical advice or solutions (Korda, Itani, 2013:15). Carleen Hawn (2009:361) explains that across the health care industry, new media tools are changing the way that patients and doctors interact which is why people are adopting this method of using social media for health related issues (Korda, Itani, 2013:15).
Beato stresses out the idea that “American psychiatric Association (APA) should add internet addiction to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)” by bringing up its consequences, he is extremely right. In its first conception, internet addiction disorder may appear as a negligible issue in our society since some of its effects are the promotion of the stupidity and the increase of the unconsciousness. An example of how ignorant and insensate we have become, Greg writes an anecdote about “the 18-year-old who choose homelessness over gamelessness” (para. 7). However, when in paragraph 8 he presents the tragic brief history of the young man who killed his mother and injured his father because they wanted to take his Xbox one, this leads us to question ourselves on how the internet can seriously affect our behavior like drugs. In addition, internet addiction has a negative impact on our mind. In other words, it may conduct to a depression. In his article Beato backs up this evidence with an example of students who qualify themselves “jittery”, “anxious”, “miserable”, and “crazy” (para.3) when they were deprived of their connections to the Internet. Finally, many young people have prefer their virtual life at the expense of their social life. They do not know what it means to communicate with other methods like a letter or a face to face communication. Greg support this idea by using a statistic graph. According to that graph, “more than 1
According to Li, O’Brien, Snyder, and Howard (2016), problematic internet use may lead to serious psychosocial dysfunction and has resulted in a proposed diagnostic criterion for the DSM-5 in order to assess the disorder. In the United States, 6% to 11% of internet users are problematic internet users. Researchers, in fact, compare problematic internet use to the assessed criteria for gambling and internet gaming disorder. They have also concluded that college-aged teens and young adults are at most risk due to the availability of internet access around them and the direct relationship between the internet and education. Symptoms include impaired physical health such as obesity or sleep disorders, psychological distress, and behavioral problems. Students may also experience more interpersonal problems and worse school and work performance.
Hypochondriasis is a mental illness wherein an individual is preoccupied with the fear of having or the idea of having a serious disease. It involves the misunderstanding of bodily symptoms. The sensations of most hypochondriacs are intense and disturbing, leading to incorrectly connecting the symptoms to a serious disease. It said that hypochondria is caused by a patients excessive worrying with having or developing a disease. Often these patients seek medical attention, but a doctor's reassurance does not help the situation. Hypochondriacs will still think they are sick no matter what the do. Generally, patients who suffer from hypochondriasis also suffer from anxiety. There are many effective treatments for hypochondriacs such as drugs, support groups and therapy. This paper will discuss the diagnosis, cause and effect of the hypochondriasis.
Motoharu Takao, Susumu Takahashi, and Masayoshi Kitamura. CyberPsychology & Behavior. October 2009, 12(5): 501-507. Published in Volume: 12 Issue 5: October 9, 2009
...t Use: The Relationship between Internet Use and Psychological Well-Being. Cyber Psychology & Behavior, 12 (4), 451-455.
A few decades ago, an unusual cough or a painful headache resulted in an immediate visit to the doctor. Scared that their symptoms were associated with a terrible disease, people were unwilling to relieve their pain on their own or wait until it passes. However, today’s Americans are more autonomous and take the alternative route: self-diagnosis. With the advancement of technology, a simple search on healthcare websites like WebMD or a quick post on social media can offer immediate answers to the ill’s symptoms and treatment options. Since WebMD’s creation in 1996, self-diagnosing has become increasingly popular during these two decades. In a 2013 research done by Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, 59% of people search
Much like Facebook, the internet ruins our social abilities and too much time can really cause harm to us. Dokoupil says that, “The current incarnation of the Internet—portable, social, accelerated, and all-pervasive—may be making us not just dumber or lonelier but more depressed and anxious, prone to obsessive-compulsive and attention-deficit disorders, even outright psychotic” (Dokoupil). In order to prevent any of this from happening, Dokoupil says, we need to be able to limit the amount of time we spend isolated on the internet and choose face to face conversations wherever possible. It turns out that “The brains of Internet addicts look like the brains of drug and alcohol addicts,” so by abusing the internet and isolating ourselves from the rest of society, we really are harming ourselves (Dokoupil). It is for this reason we need to focus on the real world and not the online fake reality that many have come to
Technology is known to help mental health because of how it can treat mental health issues. Joanna says “Some people ignore technology’s potential as both a tool for treating mental health issues and for improving the quality of people’s lives and promoting emotional well-being” (Rodriguez). There are now programmes to help with phobias and depression that help people cope with their difficulties. Although there are programs to help with mental illnesses, there are even more ways technology is causing these mental issues in people’s lives. Technology can be beneficial in acting like a “doctor”. People will use their phones to help with a personal problem. It is stated that “More than half of young people have used the Internet to find help for a personal problem. The vast majority - a whopping 94% - felt satisfied with the information they found online” (Hazel). Technology has such a large variety of things to help someone with personal problems. Technology is making it very convenient to deal with mental health, it is very beneficial in acting like a “doctor”. Even though technology can be like a “doctor” to someone helping with their problems, the internet is not always trustworthy and can cause someone to come across the wrong page creating even more problems. Going to seek help with
Studies have shown that the Internet is addictive and causes procrastination. It has caused more anti-sociality as over 50% of adults and teenagers use their smartphones while socializing. General Practitioners (GPs) have estimated that one day a week is spent dealing with patients who have diagnosed themselves online. New phobias are also being discovered, for example FOMO . FOMO is a form of social anxiety where someone is compulsively anxious that there may be a social opportunity or important information that they are missing. People are becoming also worse at remembering facts, due to the fact that we can digitalize all important information and its very easy to find other facts
Johnson, William D. "Internet and Modern Society." Dept. of Medicine. 24 Jan. 2006. University of Wyoming. 2 June 2008 .