Cyberchondriac

Definition - What does Cyberchondriac mean?

Cyberchondriac is a slang term for an individual who is constantly using the Internet to self-diagnose various health problems. In addition to providing large amounts of information, some medical websites allow people to enter in symptoms that they experience to get a list of disorders that match them. Although the medical information on the Web can help people to discover medical problems at an early stage, it may also lead to a tendency to overact to relatively minor symptoms.

Techopedia explains Cyberchondriac

The Internet can be a hypochondriac’s worst enemy due to the large volume of health information on websites, forums and so on. Do you have a stomach ache? It could be irritable bowel syndrome, gallstones or cancer. It could also be nothing at all. Although access to information is an excellent thing, this access can have negative repercussions for some people.

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