Self Diagnosis

Article Warns Of Self-Diagnosing Via Internet Searches.

The Washington Post (2/27, Eisenberg) reports on the trend of people using Google searches to self-diagnose themselves in lieu of seeing health care providers in person. The Post writes that online articles “often can’t account for the unique context in which each symptom occurs,” and warns that “numerous health-care-based websites appear to exist primarily to attract clicks and then show ads for medications or supplements.” It adds that the rise of misinformation online is cause for user concern, with many articles being written solely to “promote certain causes.”