Don't always turn to search engines to check your health

Don't always turn to search engines to check your health

A man recently checked online to see what his symptoms could mean and he self-diagnosed thinking he had cancer. 

Man surfing the internet on smartphone at home
Man surfing the internet on smartphone at home/Pexels/@Matheus Bertelli

As much as the internet has been a great source of information for us as a community, it also has some dangers. 

Apart from the dangers it has for kids, it cause unrest for people who are feeling unwell. 

It has become something of an unwarranted doctor for people who choose to consult the internet instead of seeking help from a medical professional. 

A Romanian man searched online when he found himself experiencing certain symptoms and let's just say it did not end well for him. 

He had been experiencing colon pain for some time and was feeling quite depressed about it. His wife had noticed his demeanour but didn't suspect anything until she received a text message from him. 

The message read that he was sorry and that she had been a good wife. He was in their outbuilding and she quickly ran to him. She was shocked to find that he was attempting to end his life. 

The wife was just in time and called an ambulance. The unnamed man was rushed to hospital and the doctors were able to help him.

"The man’s relatives told investigators that he had been experiencing colon pain for a while and that he had become convinced that he had colon cancer after reading about his symptoms. He hadn’t bothered seeing a specialist about his problems, instead making up his mind about the diagnostic and plunging into a deep depression." (Oddity Central)

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The man is said to be recovering well and is being tested for his colon pain. 

We can understand that sometimes it can be overwhelming to visit the doctor out of fear, but self-diagnosing is the last thing you should be doing.

"The internet is a wonderful thing where you can find a wealth of really useful information, but it can also be incredibly dangerous for people who lack the ability to understand that you simply cannot believe everything you find online, especially medical information. Self-diagnosing is a real problem worldwide and can sometimes have fatal consequences." (Oddity Central)

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