The ills of playing doctor: Why self-diagnosis can cost you health?

Putting two and two together when one has any mild symptom seems like a reasonable approach to many. But the ills of self-diagnosis will make you think twice before you ask ChatGPT to play a doctor.

A terrible headache coupled with nausea and chills. And the first thing that comes to our mind is to go down a Google rabbit hole. Or even better let's seek ChatGPT's advise.

Getting in touch with a doctor seem like too much effort, more so when a diagnosis is just a click away.

But how accurate are these diagnoses? And is self-diagnosis the right approach to treat a disease, even if it's something as minor as a flu?

Doctors strongly advise against it.

"Self-diagnosis has become extremely common, especially among younger and educated patients. While it reflects increased health awareness, it often leads to confusion due to unreliable sources, misinterpretation of symptoms, and difficulty distinguishing serious illness from benign conditions," Dr Sanjay Verma, Director GI, Minimal Access and Bariatric Surgery, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute Hospital, Okhla, New Delhi, said.

And the practice of playing a doctor comes with its own set of hazards. The most dangerous being untreated infections that can progress to sepsis.

"Other consequences include complications from inappropriate medications," Dr Verma said and added that patients may ignore alarming symptoms or treat themselves incorrectly which can worsen the disease.

Self-diagnosis, Dr Verma said, can also lead to anxiety-driven overtreatment or neglect of serious conditions requiring urgent medical intervention.

Dr Anu Kundra, Senior Vice President Lab Operations, Agilus Diagnostics, agreed with Dr Verma and said that the malpractice can also result in delay of diagnosing some severe diseases, including cancer.

"The signs of infections, cancer, and metabolic problems are occasionally not taken seriously and are considered insignificant. Self-medication results in masking the symptoms, thereby facilitating the development of an illness further. At times, false information obtained from the internet causes severe complications, like infections, uncontrolled diabetes, heart-related problems and missing the early diagnosis of cancers," Dr Kundra explained.

Not only self-diagnosis but some patients also ask for specific drugs for treatment.

"Many patients arrive with a presumed diagnosis and request specific drugs, often influenced by internet searches or prior prescriptions. They may resist further evaluation, expecting quick treatment, which can compromise proper diagnosis and safe, evidence-based management," Dr Verma emphasized.

However, this is not a practice that we should adopt as Dr Verma said there are cases where self-diagnosis has caused irreversible harm. Examples include complications from untreated appendicitis, and organ damage from inappropriate drug use.

"Self-diagnosis significantly contributes to antibiotic misuse. Patients often take antibiotics unnecessarily for viral illnesses or incomplete courses, promoting antimicrobial resistance. This makes future infections harder to treat," Dr Verma explained.

Not only this but, Dr Verma said, it also adds to the unnecessary expense.

"It often leads to unnecessary investigations. Patients may insist on multiple tests based on online information, increasing financial burden without clinical justification. This not only wastes resources but may also expose patients to unnecessary procedures, false positives, and anxiety from incidental findings," Dr Verma added.

And not just monetary expenses, there's also increased mental burden that can cause anxiety and panic disorder.

"When a person becomes convinced they have a serious illness despite medical reassurance, the psychological impact can be profound. The mind begins to scan the body constantly, magnifying harmless sensations into alarming "symptoms". This heightened vigilance fuels persistent anxiety, restlessness and difficulty concentrating," Dr Neha Aggarwal, Consultant Psychiatrist, Adayu, Fortis Hospital, Gurgaon, said.

In such cases, sleep is often disturbed and daily functioning declines as thoughts about illness dominate.

"Overtime this can evolve into "Illness anxiety disorder" where the fear of disease becomes the illness itself. Ironically, sustained stress can also produce real physical symptoms- palpitations, fatigue, or aches , further reinforcing the belief," Dr Aggarwal explained.

Reinstating the fact, Akshita Kaushik, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Maarga Mindcare, Yelahanka, Bangalore, explained that when people start obsessively looking at health information online, they may misconstrue certain common symptoms for a serious disease.

Take for example, a person might be convinced that a slight cough is a sign of lung cancer or a slight increase in heart rate is a sign of a heart disease.

"Seeking professional help especially, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can help challenge these irrational fears and work on cognitive reorientation. Additionally, getting a thorough medical evaluation done to rule out any medical condition is imperative to call it a psychological concern," Kaushik advised.

However, not all is bad with researching your symptoms beforehand. The key here is to seek information and not diagnose.

"Patients who research symptoms may be more aware, ask relevant questions, and seek care earlier. However, the benefit depends on using reliable sources and not replacing professional consultation. Awareness should complement, not substitute, medical evaluation," Dr Verma opined.

For those with an unavoidable urge to Google their symptoms and are tempted to self-diagnose, Dr Verma has a piece of advice.

"Use online information cautiously and avoid jumping to conclusions. Do not start medications without medical advice. Treat online research as a guide, not a diagnosis," he added.

And before trusting your own self-diagnosis, there are a few red flags that should be kept in mind. These include persistent symptoms, severe pain, bleeding, high fever, neurological symptoms, or worsening condition despite treatment.

"Any symptom affecting daily functioning or lasting beyond expected duration warrants medical evaluation rather than self-diagnosis. When in doubt, always seek professional advice," Dr Verma concluded.