Cyberchondriasis Obsessive Disorder Identified

An article by Dr. Dave Hnida cautions that searching the Internet for medical information has its pitfalls.

A Pew Internet study found four more than seven million Americans go online every day to research medical information but a group of them are more likely to do themselves harm than good.

That group is dubbed "cyberchondriacs" and it happens when people see only the worst cause of symptoms, not the most likely.

There are some symptoms for cyberchondriasis. Most cyberchondriacs are never satisfied with what they find and spend hours on the Internet. In some cases they will even stop doing other tasks to search again.

Medical Editor Dr. Dave Hnida says there are ways to get more out of your Internet search such as sticking to reliable websites like WebMD or the Mayo Clinic.