The internet has become a vital part of everyday life, offering access to vast amounts of information but also introducing new challenges. A notable example is cyberchondria, where individuals experience escalating anxiety through excessive online searches for health-related issues. Algorithms that promote extreme outcomes can cause minor concerns to be misinterpreted as life-threatening, reinforcing compulsive searching and distress. This work presents a prototype for a support application designed to help manage symptoms of cyberchondria and promote healthier engagement with online health information. The app integrates techniques from Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), specifically Rational-Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), to reduce compulsive symptom checking, highlight unhelpful thought patterns, and alleviate associated anxiety. A user-centred approach guided development: literature review and analysis of existing solutions, combined with input from psychotherapists as stakeholders, resulted in a list of requirements to address user needs and therapeutic goals.

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Managing Cyberchondria: A Prototype Support Application for Healthier Online Information

  • René Baranyi,
  • Tanja Bosancic,
  • Eszter Mészárosné Csuta,
  • Carina Arnberger,
  • Selina Breuer,
  • Lukas Röhrling,
  • Christoph Aigner,
  • Thomas Grechenig

摘要

The internet has become a vital part of everyday life, offering access to vast amounts of information but also introducing new challenges. A notable example is cyberchondria, where individuals experience escalating anxiety through excessive online searches for health-related issues. Algorithms that promote extreme outcomes can cause minor concerns to be misinterpreted as life-threatening, reinforcing compulsive searching and distress. This work presents a prototype for a support application designed to help manage symptoms of cyberchondria and promote healthier engagement with online health information. The app integrates techniques from Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), specifically Rational-Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), to reduce compulsive symptom checking, highlight unhelpful thought patterns, and alleviate associated anxiety. A user-centred approach guided development: literature review and analysis of existing solutions, combined with input from psychotherapists as stakeholders, resulted in a list of requirements to address user needs and therapeutic goals.