Microsoft Discovers Cyberchondria

from the internet-is-going-to-kill-you dept

Mon, Dec 1st 2008 2:04pm — Carlo Longino

Some researchers at Microsoft have been studying cyberchondria, the phenomenon of people searching the web for medical info, then concluding they've got some horrible disease or affliction. They conclude that "Web search engines have the potential to escalate medical concerns." That seems like something we already knew, but the researchers suggest one potential way to deal with the issue would be to teach search engines to recognize when they're being used as a medical diagnostic tool, and get them to respond with something other than pages about brain tumors, rare diseases and other worst-case-scenario maladies. One suggestion is a list of possible issues related to the symptom a user searches for, ranked in order of likelihood. That sounds fine, except, is that really all that different than the situation today? If a susceptible user searches for the cause of a headache, and something like a brain tumor gets mentioned, whether in passing or at the bottom of a ranked list, won't they fixate on it or some other serious condition? While online health information could certainly be made more useful, trying to change it so as to carve out cyberchondria seems pretty pointless, as the hypochondriacs will simply find another source to feed their anxiety.

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Filed Under: cyberchondria
Companies: microsoft

16 Comments

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erica stjohn, 1 Dec 2008 @ 2:54pm

human nature
I think its the people that need the programming adjsutment, not the data or search engines. Peopel are too pessimistic
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- Cliff De Witt, 1 Dec 2008 @ 2:58pm
  
  Re: human nature
  I may be a pessimist but I am glad to say that I am frequently wrong.
  
  It feeds my masochistic side.
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erica stjohn, 1 Dec 2008 @ 2:54pm

human nature
I think its the people that need the programming adjsutment, not the data or search engines. Peopel are too pessimistic
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Blackup, 1 Dec 2008 @ 3:12pm

Well....
Maybe people should just stop searching for diagnoses on 4chan...
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- DS78, 1 Dec 2008 @ 3:18pm
  
  Re: Well....
  Exactly. Too many tentacle related diseases on there anyways...
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mogilny, 1 Dec 2008 @ 3:45pm

where do u draw the line?
Is searching for weight loss or ED information going to get filtered as well? Who gets to decide what is "good"? And what happens if someone has a brain tumour and is told to drink more water?
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Dec 2008 @ 3:46pm

good idea by M$ i think, but as usual barking up the wrong tree.

improving search engine results is something all the search engines should work on, and ppl who has odd symptoms should consider taking an appointment at the doctors.
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- Great Googly Goo, 1 Dec 2008 @ 4:47pm
  
  Re:
  It looks like Google already has something similar.
  
  But yeah, when people start being cheap and using Google for medical diagnosis... Well, that seems scary.
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Dec 2008 @ 3:58pm

No, now I've got Cyberchondria too?

I don't think it really matters. If you have symptoms, you are probably checking for a worst case scenario.

The key is to provide more information. You don't need an MRI to diagnose a headache. So someone providing a web service with medical guidance on when to contact a doctor might be useful.

For instance, if:
a)you rate you headache as a 8+ on a scale of 10.
b)the room is spinning
c)you have trouble standing on one leg
d)you haven't consumed alcohol
You probably have vertigo.
Schedule a doctor's appointment within a week, if symptoms persist.

I'd use that service all of the time. Especially if it was for kids.
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- zcat, 1 Dec 2008 @ 4:16pm
  
  Re:
  Good idea. Except that sooner or later some guy dies of an undiagnosed brain tumor and they get sued into oblivion.
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ipanema, 1 Dec 2008 @ 4:14pm

i get hits from people who are looking for symptoms of a certain illness since i have some posts touching on some maladies. but just the other day i got one who searched for: "desperately seeking doctors". i'm not sure what the person was feeling then. i was forming conclusions. i hope that person is ok.

thanks for the post.
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Dave Thewlis, 1 Dec 2008 @ 4:15pm

This malady used to be called Intern's Disease, after the tendency for medical students to suddenly come down with the most severe symptoms of whatever disease they were studying. It might be logical to see what the medical profession has done in the past to guard or warn against this propensity.
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NullOp, 1 Dec 2008 @ 5:13pm

Cybercondria
Actually, pharmaceutical companies are probably working on a drug to control it!!! No kidding! IMHO, the drug companies long ago decided that everyone must have a 'treatable' disease for which they can manufacture a 'cure.' Although, they are not interested in curing anything. Its much more profitable to treat symptoms! You think i'm kidding....think about it!
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David, 2 Dec 2008 @ 3:14am

I have a headache
I knew one of those sort of hypochondriac folk well. I used to have an aquaintance (note the PAST tense!) who was a teacher and a musician and didn't really live in the real world, like a lot of people in those professions I have found, although I've no wish to tar them all with the same brush. He claimed to be a highly-strung, sensitive and vulnerable soul, susceptible to every malady under the sun it seemed and every time we did anything as simple as going out for a drink I was treated to a bulletin on the latest afflictions. I think they ranged from numerous "chest infections" (a cold to the likes of you and me) to having a private course of "cranial osteopathy" to treat some obscure disease that he claimed to have. Of course, the internet is a god-send for people like that. Print out the "symptoms", march into your doctor, tell him what you've got (makes him a bit superfluous really, doesn't it?) and get a cure. Simple really. Don't know why more people don't do it.
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John, 2 Dec 2008 @ 3:30am

Been going on for years - see 'Three Men in a Boat' by Jerome K. Jerome.

Just using a different source.

John
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Gene Cavanaugh, 2 Dec 2008 @ 8:31pm

cyberchondria
People who are that paranoid would react to any attempt at filtering with more paranoia. Such an attempt would make their condition worse; they would still feel they had a loathsome disease, and that people were trying to keep them from knowing (maliciously, of course).
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