Connecting with others online has brought 'relief, excitement, sadness that somebody else knows what you're going through.'
is not the only problem patients can run into when heeding suggestions online, especially with the coronavirus, experts say.In addition to the symptoms caused by COVID-19, the disease can complicate underlying, chronic medical conditions. Primary care doctors are trained to account for both, and treat appropriately — something Facebook commenters who"decide to become Dr. Google" cannot, Dr. Jacqueline Fincher, president of the American College of Physicians, said.
"If you post a scientific theory that doesn't have a scientific source attached to it, or a YouTube video made in your kitchen, or anything that is self-published, that gets taken down," she said."You can give your anecdotal information on your experience, but you can't tell other people medical advice — unless it's 'you need to go to the emergency room right now.
"The group confirms all the things you went through or that you sensed or felt," she said."It makes you realize, 'OK, I wasn't crazy, I'm not the only one.'" They are heartbreaking for everyone, but for those who feared they too would die, they can also bring survivor guilt.
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