[ 11 : 12 PM ➝ roman roy ] : the fuck   ? [ 11 : 13 PM ➝ roman roy ] : why the hell would i wanna do that   ? [ 11 : 17 PM ➝ roman roy ] : i got my own issues   ,   but i’m not that desperate   ,   jesus. [ 11 : 18 PM ➝ roman roy ] : i’m not a sexting sort a guy   ,   man. but even if i was   ,   you’re not gonna get one from me. sorry.

You’re blatantly lying to yourself if you think you’ve never Google searched your *very common* symptoms on Google and come to the conclusion that you’re either terminally ill or pregnant. I work in a local pharmacy and often laugh at people who believe that making an appointment with Dr. Google is the same thing as actually seeing a GP, however, catch myself googling my symptoms on the reg. Why? Mostly because I’m too lazy to make an appointment with my GP and am living on minimum wage and can’t fork out the $70 to be told that I should gargle salt water for my throat pain. However the results can leave me worried for days, do I have dermatitis? Cancer? How does every symptom result in pregnancy? Luckily I work at a pharmacy and always do a follow-up consultation with my pharmacist who laughs at how naive I am for diagnosing myself based on web search results but what about those who self-diagnose and never seek the advice of a real health care professional? Surely there’s some danger in that.

A recent study has found that ‘almost four out of five Australians now use the internet to source health information’ with ‘three out of five people [admitting] they Google health information to avoid seeing a health professional’.  The ease and convenience of the internet have branded our generation as hypochondriacs as our anxieties are heightened in regards to the multitude of illness we may be suffering from builds as we Google our symptoms until satisfaction.

Dietician, Ashley Gibbon has found an increased number of patients are misdiagnosing themselves as obese. This incorrect self-diagnosis can send individuals into a spiral where they may develop an unhealthy attitude and relationship with food and exercise. These types of diagnoses need to be made by health care professionals who are trained to be able to correctly diagnose these ailments or diseases and recommend effective treatments. These misdiagnoses are not only affecting your health but your bank account too. Trialing all sorts of treatments which *shocker* you Googled yourself are usually unsuccessful and just a waste of time and money. By simply coming to these conclusions yourself, you could be doing your body and mental health more harm than good.