"Mark had been feeling unusually thirsty for a few days. It was probably nothing, but he decided to see his M.D. anyway. And why not? There's no wait and no co-pay with Dr. Google. Within seconds, Mark had a diagnosis: diabetes. Or, wait, hyperthyroidism. Or kidney failure?! Now he really needed a drink. . . .
There's no Mark. But there are many guys who, like Mark, suffer from cyberchondria—anxiety about everyday symptoms that escalates after browsing the Web. "Commonly searched sites, like WebMD, often lack depth," says Kathryn Greene, Ph.D., a health communication professor at Rutgers University. "That can be okay for very general info. But if you're looking up, say, tingling hands, these sites can lead to very alarming perceptions."
