Cyberchondria refers to compulsive online searching for medical information, which leads to heightened health anxiety. Unlike general health anxiety or hypochondria, cyberchondria is uniquely tied to internet use. Individuals may spend hours researching symptoms to fuel their irrational beliefs about being sick, often jumping to worst-case scenarios like rare diseases or terminal illnesses.

Learn more from Nur Arfah Zaini, Clinical Psychologist and Lecturer, School of Psychology and Social Sciences, IMU University at Googling Your Symptoms? Here’s Why It Could Be Hurting You—and How to Stop! (Health Today, 15 January 2025).