Do you know that too? More and more people are suffering from “cyberchondria”

April 6, 2026 around 3:39 p.m Clock

The pain can't just be side stitches! And who knows what the tingling in your fingers means!? Just two or three clicks on the Internet – and some people end up in a world of dramatic illnesses and supposed diagnoses. Fear is spreading. Experts speak of cyberchondria. The term is a combination of cyber and hypochondria. According to Heiko Graf from the Karlsruhe Municipal Hospital, it describes a phenomenon, but not a classified disease.

In cyberchondria, there is an unfounded fear or increased attention to serious physical illnesses, which is based on knowledge of Internet content, explains the director of the Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic Medicine. This could lead to depression or a hypochondriacal disorder. The latter is, in a sense, the maximum variant.

According to a study by the University of Mainz, at least six percent of the German population suffer from severe health anxiety. There is a clear trend: “We have seen an increase in anxiety disorders over the last 30 years,” says Graf. “Those under 35 are particularly affected,” explains the expert. This group uses the Internet more frequently than people over 80. In addition, anxiety disorders developed at a younger age. “You are even more receptive.”

But people with increased basic anxiety or those who have difficulty dealing with uncertainty are also more susceptible. Studies have estimated that 30 to 50 percent of people become more afraid of illnesses when they search for them on the Internet.

According to a Forsa survey commissioned by KKH Kaufmännische Krankenkasse, 91 percent of those surveyed have already researched illnesses and symptoms online – regardless of whether they were affected themselves or someone in their environment. Around a third stated that this saved them visits to the doctor. 13 percent have already made a self-diagnosis. Among 16 to 34 year olds it was even one in five (20 percent).

“If you google illnesses and symptoms online, you’re not doing anything wrong,” says KKH psychologist Isabelle Wenck. “In most cases, this even improves your own health literacy – provided the information is reputable and up-to-date.”

However, people with mental illnesses in particular could quickly find themselves in a vicious circle. “This is particularly true for those who already have a concrete fear of serious or incurable illnesses.” As a result, cyberchondria could arise. “This compulsive addiction to an Internet diagnosis is also called Google disease,” explains Wenck.

Online searches often act as a kind of accelerant for existing fears: those affected search for suitable explanations for their symptoms for many hours a day, draw wrong conclusions, overdramatize their symptoms and, in the worst case, make dramatic self-diagnoses.

Graf emphasizes that the problem is not the occasional look-up of illnesses on the Internet, but that this “can turn into an anxiety disorder and hypochondriacal anxiety.” The border is fluid. “At some point the search for illnesses takes on a compulsive character. As a rule, those affected develop a sense of suffering, but are then often asked by others about their unfounded fears.”

Doctors notice, for example, that their patient has already consulted many doctors in advance and always doubts that the findings are normal. But friends and family might also notice unusual behavior. Graf emphasizes that, in contrast to simple internet research, doctors also take probabilities into account, such as how often a disease occurs at a certain age. “You often don't have this context when you research individual symptoms on the Internet. Then, when researching headaches, you end up with a brain tumor within three clicks, even though tension headaches or migraines are much more likely.”

The expert also warns that at least 40 percent of the health content on the Internet is not verified or even incorrect. This is particularly the case with cancer, according to a systematic evaluation of dozens of studies. From Graf's point of view, AI applications such as ChatGPT are also problematic because they could also access unfiltered web content with unfounded information. “The information on the Internet is of very different quality,” warns Wenck. Only experts could interpret the multitude of results professionally and classify them correctly.

Only psychotherapy offers real help against the anxiety disorder. According to Graf, medications are rarely administered. With behavioral therapy you can achieve a lot within 25 sessions – even on an outpatient basis. “First of all, it is important not to discuss with the patient that he does not have a physical illness, but rather to convey strategies on how he can deal with fear.”

Sources used: Marco Krefting, dpa