What is IDIOT Syndrome?
In today’s time everything is available on the internet, in just a few clicks. While this has proven to be a boon in most cases, but it had created a complicated situation in healthcare. IDIOT syndrome stands for Internet Derived Information Obstruction Treatment. IDIOT syndrome occurs when patients abruptly quit their treatment because they have blindly trusted internet medical information.
WHO calls this an “Infodemic,” which has created a complex situation in healthcare, as it has caused too much information in digital and physical environments during an outbreak of the disease and caused mistrust in health authorities. [Source: National Library of Medicine]
Signs you are suffering from IDIOT Syndrome
Following are some of the most common signs of this curiously-named syndrome.
- Strong feeling about having a serious illness despite having minor symptoms.
- Spending hours on online search for medical information.
- Feeling distressed based on the information found online.
- Sweating, an accelerated heart rate, or other anxiety-related symptoms while searching for your symptoms.
- Jumping to the worst conclusions based on internet search about existing illness.
- The habit of jumping to the worst possible conclusions about the existing health status.
- Not believing in in-person meeting with medical professionals.
Googling too much is bad for health
People who are addicted to googling the symptoms, may self-medicate and refuse consulting a doctor. Therefore, online searching for symptoms can quickly transform into false diagnoses and can make the situation potentially dangerous.
Internet search for your symptoms or health conditions can create a mess. Because you will see a list of symptoms on almost any website you look at – and many of the are very common and overlap with a lot of possible problems, which might have nothing to do with your illness.
Is all health information on the internet fake?
Not all the information related to health and wellness on the internet is legit or fake. And this is the same with information on every other topic on the internet. Some sites publish fake health content just to gain popularity, advertisements, and ratings. People should keep an eye on such sites that threaten their readers and increase the hype. Such sites should be ignored.
Wrapping Up…
Like every coin has two sides, this topic too has different sides. Which side the person looks on ultimately matters. In case of IDIOT syndrome more and more awareness about how to look for a health condition and the solution on the internet is required.
Don’t get affected by the IDIOT syndrome. Stop consulting internet for every little health problem and be an IDIOT, rather consult a doctor.
Dr. Vishal Jogi
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