Cyberchondria and Nomophobia: What are they?

Obsessively Searching for Information on the Internet: Cyberchondria

The obsessive search for health information on the Internet by individuals is called cyberchondria. This situation results in the diagnosis of the disease in the light of the information obtained by the individual who has health anxiety. The most decisive factor among the factors triggering cyberchondria is the anxiety that occurs as a result of the behavior of seeking health information, which leads to the behavior of seeking information again (Bahadır, 2021).

Fear of Being Without a Cell Phone: Nomophobia

Nomophobia is derived from the abbreviation of the words “No Mobile Phone Phobia”. It is used to express the state of anxiety and worry that occurs in the absence of virtual communication devices such as computers and mobile phones. Individuals show some symptoms such as sweating, restlessness and irregularity in breathing when they are away from their mobile phones. Nomophobic individuals may experience fear of being without a phone even when their mobile phones are with them (Kalip and Çöl, 2020).

Next Generation Digital Pathologies

Cyberchondria and nomophobia can be defined as pathologies that cause internet addiction and occur due to internet addiction. Since they are new concepts in the literature, it is seen that cyberchondria can be considered as behavioral disorders due to the use of technology and nomophobia can be considered as a specific phobia within the DSM criteria, but there are no clear definitions within the DSM criteria. The American Psychiatric Association has not yet made a clear statement on this issue (Bahadır, 2021; Bekaroğlu & Yılmaz, 2020).

Cyberchondria is conceptually derived from the concepts of “cyber” and “hypochondriasis”. It was first used in an article published in Business Wire and started to be used as a medical term after the 2000s (Tarhan et al., 2021).

Nomophobia, on the other hand, was conceptually used for the first time in 2008 within the scope of the results obtained from the research findings of the British Post Office to determine the anxiety levels of mobile phone users (Batu and İplikçi 2018).

Cyberchondria and Distrust of Medicine

Cyberchondric individuals are distrustful of the medical institution. Individuals can discuss with doctors by referencing the information they find on the internet. Since health anxiety has a great effect on the emergence of cyberchondria, people may feel intense anxiety about the disease they are in. In addition, it is possible for them to internalize any information they find on the internet without questioning whether it is safe or not (Deniz, 2020).

Therefore, the individual may stop benefiting from the medical institution as a result of the intense health anxiety he experiences, regardless of whether he is really sick or not. It is a dangerous situation for a cyberchondric individual to think that the problem will disappear by trying to treat himself with the information he learned from the internet. Ultimately, it can be said that cyberchondria changes the relationship between patient and physician, which is highly controversial within the scope of various studies (Tarhan et al., 2021).

My Cell Phone and I Can’t Be Separated Disease: Nomophobia

Although nomophobia is a disease known as the fear of being without a mobile phone, it is also related to the desire to be constantly online. Individuals keep their mobile phones on for almost all of the day and check their phones every few minutes. Nomophobic individuals carry one or more chargers or spare phones with them in case their mobile phones run out of charge. Nomophobic individuals may be excessively afraid of losing their mobile phones and therefore may be in a state of constant restlessness (Aykaç and Yıldırım, 2021).

Digital Pathologies and Their Dangers

It can be said that cyberchondria and nomophobia can be evaluated within digital addictions. For example, individuals with cyberchondria may experience some problems regarding the reliability of the information as they can access all kinds of websites while searching for health information on the internet. While collecting information, the cyberchondric individual, who encounters information pollution on some sites other than the social media pages and blogs of official health institutions or organizations, may become sick with his own physical interventions, even if he is not sick as a result of the health advice he reads. In addition, the information they have gained may increase health concerns and cyberchondria pathology may be experienced more intensely (Demirhan and Eke, 2021; Deniz, 2020).

Nomophobic individuals, on the other hand, may experience some problems in their daily life activities because they want to spend time with their mobile phones and be online all the time. For example, avoidance behavior may occur in areas where mobile phones are prohibited, such as cinemas, airplanes, and theaters. Or, it is possible for them to show panic attacks and rush behaviors due to the fear that their battery will run out in the open area. The fact that they check the notifications coming to their mobile phones at any time, keep their phones on all day long, and spend a lot of time and economically on their mobile phones, explains the addiction dimension of the situation they are in (Aykaç and Yıldırım, 2021).

Sources:

Aykaç, S., ve Yıldırım, Ş. (2021). Gelişen Dünyada Nomofobi Ve Sosyotelist Olma- Sosyotelizme Maruz Kalmanın Etkileri. Abant İzzet Baysal Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 243-256.

Bahadır, E. (2021). Çevrimiçi Sağlık Arama Davranışı (Siberkondri) Üzerine Bir Gözden Geçirme. Klinik Psikoloji Dergisi, 5(1), 79-85.

Batu, M. ve İplikçi, H. G. (2018). Yeni Medya Rahatsızlıkları: Yeni Nesil Medyaya Farklı Bir Bakış. ICOAEF’18 IV. International Conference on Applied Economics and Finance & EXTENDED WITH SOCIAL SCIENCES 1-15.

Bekaroğlu, E. ve Yılmaz, T. (2020). Nomofobi: Ayırıcı Tanı Ve Tedavisi. Psikiyatride Güncel Yaklaşımlar, 12(1), 131-142. doi: 10.18863/pgy.528897.

Demirhan, H. ve Eke, E. (2021). Sağlık Bilgisi Arama Davranışı Açısından Dijitalleşmenin Etkileri: Siberkondri Hastalığı Üzerine Bir İnceleme. International Journal of Health Sociology, 1(1), 1-18.

Deni,. S. (2020). Bireylerin E-Sağlık Okuryazarlığı Ve Siberkondri Düzeylerinin İncelenmesi. İnsan ve İnsan, 84-96. doi: 10.29224/insanveinsan.674726.

Kalip, K. ve Çöl, M. (2020). Teknolojiyle Bağlantili Yeni Davranişsal Bozukluklar / Recent Behavioral Disorders Due To Technology. ESTÜDAM Halk Sağlığı Dergisi, 5(2), 318-333. doi: 10.35232/estudamhsd.712134.

Tarhan, N., Tutgun Ünal, A. ve Ekinci, Y. (2021). Yeni Kuşak Hastalığı Siberkondri: Yeni Medya Çağında Kuşakların Siberkondri Düzeyleri İle Sağlık Okuryazarlığı İlişkisi. OPUS Uluslararası Toplum Araştırmaları Dergisi, 17(37), 4253-4297.