A new path to paranoia - Dr Internet, it’s time to log out

THE internet has been blamed for many things; everything from the popularisation of ‘Gangnam Style’ dance to the election of President Donald Trump. 

It must be hoped that those peculiarities are but passing aberrations but it does seem likely that one innovation might defy logic and endure.

Nearly everyone has met Dr Internet MD, the citizen conferred, in their imagination at least, with a medical degree from the University of Google. Their newfound authority is matched only by their enthusiasm for offering unsought and unsound diagnosis.

This vocation has become so popular, so all consuming, that it has generated a word to describe one of its consequences. Cyberchondria describes the symptoms endured by some people who consult the internet and who, as a result of one dire but inaccurate prognosis or other, experience a heightened sense of anxiety about their health.

If that was the extent of the delusion it would be harmless enough but Britain’s National Health Service estimates the bill for offering a second opinion on Dr Internet’s fantasies is heading towards half a billion pounds this year.

Even in a Gangnam-and-Trump world, this seems a kind of madness far beyond the usual resource-eating hypochondria.

Of course we should use any and all means to achieve health but this step seems a needless invitation to paranoia. Maybe it’s time to update to the old cartoon question — “What’s up doc? — to a new challenge — “Log out Doc!”