What is cyberchondria ?

Recently there was lot of buzz about the term cyberchondria on the internet.  Are you also the one who google for even a headache that you might have once in a while ? If your answer is yes, then you are probably suffering from cyberchondria.

Cyberchondria is a term used to describe a condition where a person uses internet to search for any healthcare related issue, be it a normal headache, cold, cough, fever or a serious depression.

The word is derived from the word Hypochondria which is a condition where a person is too much worried about having some serious disease or illness. Most of the people suffering from this disease focus on one particular sickness and associate themselves with that. This is often considered to be OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) which may be a part of depression.

The term cyberchondria was coined by two Microsoft researchers Ryen White and Eric Horvitz who conducted detailed analysis of the condition based on the search results. Recently New York Times also covered one article based on their research which will give you some more insights.