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Hamilton Spectator
5 days ago
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
Not feeling well? Read this before you Google your symptoms
Don't diagnose yourself. That is the message from Ontario's doctors who are raising awareness that Google doesn't have a medical degree, miracle cures can't be found on TikTok and artificial intelligence (AI) often provides as much misinformation as fact. Alarmed by the rise in do-it-yourself (DIY) medicine , the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) is warning that no matter how real it looks, quizzes can't diagnose illness, influencers don't have quick-and-easy secrets to good health and real harm can come from misdiagnosis, delayed treatment and using medication prescribed to someone else. 'When patients take health into their own hands and they actually implement some of these do-it-yourself treatments or remedies, unfortunately there are often consequences,' OMA president Dr. Zainab Abdurrahman said at a media briefing July 9. 'They can cause unnecessary harms, prolong symptoms or prolong them from actually getting the care they need.' It can be tempting to give in to posts and advertisements that appear to have immediate, accessible answers and are specifically targeted to your social media feeds based on your trends. 'At least one patient out of three will bring up some form of self-diagnosis or self-management,' North Bay psychiatrist Dr. Valerie Primeau said during the briefing. 'People are … looking for quick answers, and the internet is willing to try to provide those answers.' Doctors understand why patients increasingly want to take matters into their own hands at a time when an estimated 2.5 million Ontarians don't have a family physician and specialists can be hard to access. Many people don't have time to seek out medical care because they are working or caring for family members. Some don't trust the medical system or fear interacting with health-care providers. 'It's just so easy to get online and try and get information,' London radiation oncologist Dr. David D'Souza said at the briefing. 'When you're looking for hope, I think some of the things that … appeal to people are things that are all natural, treatments with very few or no unpleasant side effects, or they offer miraculous outcomes.' Doctors say they are now seeing medical DIY from tweens to seniors over age 80. But D'Souza has seen firsthand the danger posed by misinformation and DIY medicine, including delayed care, patients choosing treatment with no evidence behind it or even being convinced to turn away from proven medicine altogether. 'I had a young woman diagnosed with cervix cancer, and she was not ready to accept conventional treatment and decided she was going to pursue other remedies that she had heard about,' D'Souza said. 'She came back two years later, unfortunately, with her disease having progressed and spread and in a lot of pain. Unfortunately, our ability to control her cancer and give her a long-term good outcome was severely compromised.' Misdiagnosis is another major concern of turning to the internet for answers about what is causing symptoms, resulting in unnecessary treatments, undue stress or the real problem going undiagnosed. 'Some of the things that my colleagues and I have seen more in recent years is patients coming to us and saying … 'I saw a video on TikTok and it sounds like I have all the criteria, that must mean that I have this disorder,' Primeau said. 'If you think you have an illness, obviously that will increase anxiety … and you may not actually suffer from an illness.' Self-diagnosis has become a particular problem for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with quizzes popping up online — many are free, but some require payment — that purport to be accurate. 'We have inattention in general as a society right now, so it's just something that resonates a lot with us,' Primeau said. 'If I ask … 'Have you ever been distracted or had trouble with organization or answering all your emails?' I think most people are going to say, 'Yes,' and this is why I think there is a rising trend to self-diagnose.' But confirming ADHD as an adult requires a deep dive into the past, Primeau said. 'ADHD is a neurodevelopmental illness, and I think people forget that,' Primeau said. 'You technically have to have it in childhood before a certain age, and that is not portrayed in social media.' Some patients have even admitted to trying a friend or family member's medication because they believed they had the same illness. 'It's led to side effects,' Primeau said. 'That can be dangerous.' As the public gets more comfortable with using AI, doctors fear medical DIY will become more common, which is one of the reasons the OMA is raising the issue. 'I have patients now that talk to ChatGPT to get advice and to have a conversation,' Primeau said. 'If we don't address it now and help people navigate this, they will struggle.' The problem with turning to AI is that it provides 'partial truths and partial misinformation,' Toronto endocrinologist Dr. Alyse Goldberg said at the briefing. Online resources also aren't obligated to keep medical information confidential and may not safeguard patient privacy. When looking for medical information online, doctors recommend going to the websites of major hospital networks like Hamilton Health Sciences, St. Joseph's Healthcare or the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. They also suggest turning to trusted organizations and agencies like the Canadian Cancer Society, Cancer Care Ontario, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, Public Health Ontario or the OMA itself. 'It's probably difficult for members of the public to distinguish what would be reputable versus not,' Primeau said. 'I would always recommend seeking help from your family physician or a professional.' Doctors say to watch out for claims of cures never seen before or treatments kept hidden from the public. Be wary of overgeneralized videos and quizzes. Remember anecdotes are not the same as clinical trials, and what works for one patient may not be the right fit for another. 'I think in general, it's really hard in the sea of information to tell the difference,' Goldberg said. 'I always recommend (to) bring what you found to your primary care provider or a professional if you're able to, to make sure that you can tell what is appropriate and what isn't.' Doctors say they are now seeing medical DIY from tweens to seniors over age 80. 'We want to ensure that we are talking about this, we are addressing this because it is an important issue,' Abdurrahman said. 'We're going to have more and more people seeing this because social media is so pervasive in our day to day lives.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. 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Hamilton Spectator
10-07-2025
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
This doctor says one-third of her patients self-diagnose using online research. She and others are warning of the risks
For every three patients who come to her psychiatry clinic in North Bay, Ont., Valérie Primeau estimates at least one will say they have researched online and determined they have a mental disorder. The psychiatrist said it's particularly common with ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. 'I haven't been diagnosed yet,' Primeau recalled patients telling her, 'but I know I have it.' Interactions like these are increasingly playing out in doctor offices across the province as more people use the internet — especially social media — for medical advice, Primeau and other medical professionals said Wednesday at a virtual media briefing by the Ontario Medical Association (OMA). The briefing was aimed at highlighting the risks associated with do-it-yourself medicine — warning any form of self-diagnosis comes with risks. According to a survey from the Canadian Medical Association from January, 62 per cent of Canadians reported seeing health information online before later learning it was misleading or false. That same survey found that 23 per cent of people said they'd experienced negative health reactions after following misleading information found online. 'Doctors recognize the complex circumstances that make do-it-yourself treatments appealing,' said Zainab Abdurrahman, OMA president and a clinical immunologist, during Wednesday's briefing. These reasons for seeking answers online could stem from a lack of trust between a would-be patient and medical professionals or not having access to a family doctor, Abdurrahman and other medical professionals at the briefing explained. 'But we assure patients that experts are here to help,' Abdurrahman said. Most of the misleading health information these days comes from social media, experts at the briefing said. Alyse Goldberg, an endocrinologist in Toronto, said she's seen some posts related to endocrine disorders pop up on her social media feeds after talking with her patients, highlighting how prevalent these posts can be. 'I'm not necessarily even searching for it,' she said. Experts who spoke at the briefing said that people's use of the internet to learn more about what others might be experiencing can be somewhat helpful, but encouraged those who do to always bring up their concerns with a medical professional. They stressed that medical professionals avoid judging their patients whenever social media posts come up in appointments. 'The problem which I try to avoid is the perception that we somehow know more or that there is an air of superiority,' said David D'Souza, a professor and radiation oncologist at Western University. For those who don't have a family doctor, people can also find reliable information online from health associations or by visiting a walk-in clinic. 'There are lots of avenues to still reach doctors to talk about this, even if you don't have a regular doctor,' Abdurrahman said.
Hamilton Spectator
10-07-2025
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
AI tools and doctor shortage leading to rise in DIY diagnosis, Ontario docs say
TORONTO - The advent of AI and a lack of access to primary care are feeding a rising trend in people trying to diagnose and treat themselves online, doctors say. In an online media briefing hosted by the Ontario Medical Association on Wednesday, an endocrinologist, a cancer specialist and a psychiatrist all noted misinformation they frequently see online in their respective fields. The risks of DIY diagnosis include trying remedies posted on social media that are unsafe, delaying seeking legitimate medical treatment and being financially exploited by paying for things that don't work, they said. 'I foresee it continuing to happen more and more, especially with AI technology getting more and more available and more and more sophisticated,' said Dr. Valerie Primeau, a psychiatrist in North Bay, Ont. 'I have patients now that talk to ChatGPT to get advice.' Dr. Zainab Abdurrahman, a clinical immunologist and president of the OMA, said the fact that so many people don't have a family doctor leaves a void in places where patients can get trustworthy health information — so many turn to online and AI sources. 'One of the places where you have a lot of trust because you've had a long relationship is your family doctor. And that's something that you can feel comfortable to bounce some of these ideas by,' Abdurrahman said. 'When you don't have that, you're often feeling like you're going to all these other sources and you're not able to necessarily check the credibility for these resources.' Primeau said difficulty in accessing mental health care is another factor that drives people online and into potentially risky situations. 'The first concern obviously is misdiagnosis,' she said. 'When studies have looked at videos on social media, a lot of them are overly generalized, meaning they don't necessarily target a particular disorder, even though they say they do. They may portray inaccurately certain illnesses or provide misleading information.' That in turn can lead to dangerous attempts to self-treat, Primeau said. 'Some patients, for example, have reported to me trying a medication from a friend, a family member, because they believe they suffered from the same illness, and it's led to side effects.' Primeau said one of the most common trends she's seen is online tests that claim they can diagnose attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. 'If I ask everybody online today, 'have you ever been distracted or had trouble with organization or answering all your emails?' I think most people are going to say yes,' she said. 'There is a rising trend to self-diagnose with it because we recognize ourselves in the videos that are played about ADHD because in general, society is struggling with inattention.' True ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder, Primeau said, and can be traced back to childhood. Some mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression, are more likely to be correctly self-diagnosed by taking online tests, but should still be confirmed by a professional, she said. Other conditions are especially prone to being diagnosed incorrectly, including bipolar disorder, Primeau said. But going online to do mental health research is 'not all negative,' she said, noting that watching videos or listening to people talking about their illness and identifying with them can prompt patients to seek care for themselves. Social media groups can also offer peer support, she said. Primeau encourages patients to share what they find online with their health-care provider. 'Patients want to feel that they have a say in the decisions that you make with them,' she said. 'When they come (to) me with already some opinion about what they might be suffering from or their treatment, first of all, I take the information.' If the patient's research doesn't align with her professional diagnosis, Primeau has an open discussion with them and shows them evidence about why she came to that conclusion. If people don't have a family doctor, Abdurrahman of the OMA said other ways to access credible health knowledge include going to a walk-in clinic or checking the websites of established medical institutions and associations — but emphasized the need to solve the primary care shortage as a better solution. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 9, 2025. Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
CTV News
10-07-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Ontario doctors warn of increase in DIY medicine
The Ontario Medical Association (OMA) is sounding the alarm on what it says is a concerning increase in the number of patients turning to do-it-yourself medical solutions rather than getting expert advice from doctors. 'We know people are going online,' Dr. David D'Souza said. 'The aspect of looking is not necessarily a problem; it's the interpretation of it.' D'Souza, a radiation oncologist in London, Ont., said patients are often drawn to ideas that seem 'all natural' or that seem to offer 'miraculous' results or options with no unpleasant side effects. He cited a study which found that about a third of the most popular social media posts about cancer from 2018-2019 contained factually incorrect information. 'You might say, well, what's the big deal? What's the problem with it? Well, most of them are potentially harmful,' he said. D'Souza was one of several doctors who took part in a news conference hosted by the OMA Wednesday, calling attention to the rising trend of do-it-yourself medical solutions. Doctors on the panel said they are increasingly encountering self-diagnoses based on internet research or having to answer questions from patients about viral videos suggesting that fast food can cure migraines or that CBD oil can shrink tumours. Some are even trying to treat themselves. 'I had a patient who had a tube going into their kidney because it was blocked – it's called a nephrostomy tube – due to their cancer. And they actually tried to put the twine from a weed whacker in to get out the sludge that was in there,' D'Souza recalled. 'They were asking about actually putting in a little bit of Lysol to clear it out.' While he managed to dissuade them, other patients have chosen to go with alternate treatments based on their own research, sometimes with devastating effects. One young woman, D'Souza recalled, came to him with a diagnosis of cervical cancer. 'She was not ready to accept conventional treatment and decided she was going to pursue other remedies that she had heard about,' D'Souza said. 'She came back two years later, unfortunately, with her disease having progressed and spread, and in a lot of pain, and unfortunately, our ability to control her cancer and give her a long-term good outcome was severely compromised.' Patients making diagnoses with online quizzes Dr. Valerie Primeau, a psychiatrist from North Bay, Ont., said she's seeing more and more people using quick online tools to diagnose themselves with Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, and other problems. 'The first concern, obviously, is misdiagnosis,' Primeau said. 'And there's certain disorders that are higher risk of misdiagnosis, specifically bipolar disorder.' She noted that if you think you have an illness, that could increase anxiety about having an illness, which could itself have negative health impacts. Best practices around treatment can also change dramatically in just the space of a couple of years, she said, information that medical experts are more likely to be appraised of than online resources. 'So that can be dangerous, as well as being given unfiltered advice about how to manage the illness, which is not likely to be evidence-based,' Primeau said. She estimated around a third of the patients she sees come to her with self-diagnoses and estimates that proportion will increase. 'It's happening more right now, and I foresee it continuing to happen more and more, especially with AI technology getting more and more available and more and more sophisticated,' Primeau said. 'I have patients now that talk to ChatGPT to get advice.' Social media a source of medical misinformation Dr. Alyse Goldberg, a Toronto endocrinologist who focuses on fertility and treating hormonal conditions, said existing technologies, particularly social media, are already driving people to health information that may not be reliable. She showed examples of posts, presented to her by social media accounts she doesn't even follow, which described 'invisible signs of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)' and 'tips' about other disorders she regularly discusses. 'You get targeted in terms of what therapeutic options your physician may be giving you, but then reasons to avoid some evidence-based treatment,' Goldberg said. While some of the solutions presented by the posts might sound amazing, they may not be tested or evidence-based. Nevertheless, seeing the posts could 'fracture the relationship with the physician,' Goldberg said, especially if the patient feels that good options have been 'withheld.' Some of the posts might also push users toward products that aren't effective or appropriate and Goldberg said it's important to think about 'who's trying to make money off of us and use our symptoms of medical experiences in order to self promote.' OMA President Dr. Zainab Abdurrahman said the organization is particularly concerned about the rise in diagnosis and self-treatment among young people, who tend to lean heavily on information from the Internet. 'When you break it down by generations, we're also seeing a higher uptake, especially in some of our very young populations, who are still in their teens and early 20s, who are looking more at social media and in terms of how they quantify how reliable or credible a source is versus other generations,' Abdurrahman said. She also pointed out that combatting misinformation is a wider problem society is grappling with right now. 'We want to come and address and talk about this, and talk about how to get credible information, because we know misinformation and disinformation is something that, as a society we are managing, and health-care is not immune to this.' While there are many pitfalls and problems with self-diagnosis and treatment, doctors point out that it can be beneficial to do some research from legitimate sources if it leads you to consult a physician who can more accurately diagnose a problem. The doctors also stress that it's important for medical professionals to be communicative with their patients rather than judgmental, recognizing that sometimes a prescribed course of treatment can leave patients feeling like they don't have control. 'Rather than coming back with a judgmental tone, I embrace the fact that they are communicating,' D'Souza said. They also acknowledge that access to family doctors, and financial barriers to certain kinds of medical tests and assessments could also be driving people into the arms of Dr. Google, where quick answers are easy to come by. 'Our phones now are intelligent. They listen to us and they look at our trends,' Primeau points out. 'And if we talk about something that we're concerned about, they will show us posts that relate to that. So the answers seem more immediate, and people want that. People are looking for answers, and they get that validation from that access on social media.'
Toronto Sun
09-07-2025
- Health
- Toronto Sun
Ontario doctors alarmed by the rise of 'DIY medicine'
Patients are increasingly diagnosing and even treating themselves based on online advice. The results often aren't good. Dr. Zainab Abdurrahman is president of the Ontario Medical Association. Photo by John Lappa / Postmedia Patients are increasingly diagnosing and even treating themselves based on online advice, a trend that is raising alarm bells among Ontario doctors. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The Ontario Medical Association held a briefing this week to warn about the rise of so-called DIY medicine, something doctors say is causing harm to patients and is likely to get worse. Earlier this year, the Canadian Medical Association reported results of a media survey that found more Canadians are turning to social media for medical advice at a time when many are struggling to access health care. The survey found that 62 per cent of Canadians have encountered health information they later found to be false or misleading — up eight per cent from a year earlier. Twenty three per cent of those surveyed reported having a negative health reaction after following online health advice. It is a trend that Ontario doctors see on a regular basis. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'In my experience, one patient out of three will bring up some form of self-diagnosis,' said Dr. Valerie Primeau, a psychiatrist from North Bay who leads inpatient and community programs for mental health and addictions. Among common self-diagnoses is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, something that is a rising focus of social media posts. 'People are looking for answers, and the internet is willing to provide those answers,' she said. Dr. Valerie Primeau, a psychiatrist from North Bay. Photo by OMA / Provided Primeau and other physicians taking part in the briefing acknowledged there are many reasons patients are increasingly looking to the internet for answers to their health questions — a lack of access to medical care and the growing reliance on the internet among them. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. She encourages her patients to talk to her about what they have read and seen. 'It can provide validation and a sense of community. It is important to take it into account if a patient brings it to your office, but I never encourage anyone to self-diagnose.' Dr. David D'Souza a radiation oncologist in London who leads clinical research into image-based treatments for cancer, said information and misinformation patients found online is a routine part of his practice. He has treated patients whose health suffered because of their reliance on information they saw on the internet, he said. Dr. David D'Souza, a radiation oncologist in London. Photo by Supplied / OMA One patient who had been diagnosed with cervical cancer declined conventional treatment because she wanted to pursue other remedies she had learned about through the internet, he said. Two years later, he saw her again and her disease had spread. 'Our ability to control it and give her a good outcome was severely compromised.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Another patient diagnosed with cancer chose treatments, including ivermectin, an anti-parasite drug that became popular as an alternative treatment for COVID-19, for which it was ineffective. Health officials in the U.S. have raised concerns about its alternative use by patients to treat cancer. There is no credible evidence that it works. However, it can cause harm and delay effective treatment, allowing cancer to spread. D'Souza said he understands why people turn to the internet when they get a diagnosis like cancer. 'We know people are going online. Looking isn't necessarily the problem.' He noted that there is a big difference between looking up a YouTube video to learn how to fix a broken appliance and looking up advice about how to DIY your health care after a diagnosis of cancer. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'If you go down the wrong path, it can cause harm.' But he said it is important not to judge patients and to engage with them about their concerns, especially at a time when they may feel they have little control over what is happening to them. 'Rather than being judgmental, I embrace the fact that they are communicating.' Dr. Alyse Goldberg, an endocrinologist from Toronto who focuses on fertility and treating hormonal conditions, said there is a 'plethora' of advice on the internet from influencers and others about hormonal and fertility issues, often focused on untested approaches and supplements that promise simple solutions to what are complex issues. Dr. Alyse Goldberg, an endocrinologist from Toronto who focuses on fertility and treating hormonal conditions. Photo by Supplied / OMA She said she focuses on having open conversations with patients and trying to explain what has been shown to work in research studies, 'emphasizing that we are all in this together to try to help our patients feel better and prevent complications.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. OMA president Dr. Zainab Abdurrahman said poor access to primary care plays a role in the growing trend toward DIY medicine. 'Being able to ask these questions (about your health) is about trust. One place you have trust is with your family doctor. When you don't have that, people often go to other sources.' She said that is why the OMA is advocating for every Ontario resident to have access to a primary caregiver, something the Ontario government has committed to doing. The physicians said it is difficult to cut through the growing number of influencers and health advisers online, many of whom are looking to make money from people seeking medical help. But they said there are credible sources, including major research hospitals and organizations, including the Canadian Mental Health Association, the Canadian Cancer Society and, CAMH. They said they are raising their concerns because they believe the situation is getting worse, especially with the rapid growth of artificial intelligence. Our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark our homepage and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. 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