cyberchondria

Awareness is also growing about “cyberchondria,” when people search desperately online for answers to their ailments — putting them at risk of unnecessary treatment or further distress.

There are hours spent on the Internet that can fuel cyberchondria and constant doctor visits.

He links cyberchondria to a dysfunctional web of metacognitive beliefs, which are really just thoughts about thinking.

But in cyberchondria, metacognitive beliefs morph into a mental trap that chains people to online health content.

Fergus and Spada discovered that similar metacognitive beliefs propel online search habits in cyberchondria.