Discussion: How to stop searching for every symptom using AI?

[u/zakkwylde1988]

Sometimes I feel like it's quicker to learn about a symptom in AI than to wait for a doctor's appointment. Am I alone?

[u/popzelda]

Anxiety and AI are incompatible. Stop.

[u/PaigeFour]

We shouldn't be doing either, but youd probably be even better of googling it than using AI.

AI is a regurgitation machine that will tell you what you want to hear to keep you using it. It can be helpful for some stuff, its a tool. But it's been known to increase the severity of numerous mental health issues because its a validation machine that will justify just about anything if you want it to.

[u/MallCopBlartPaulo → u/PaigeFour]

Exactly, not only is it bad reassurance seeking, but it’s likely giving incorrect information anyway.

[u/MallCopBlartPaulo]

You stop. You just stop doing it. You have the power to step away from the screen. It’s not helping you, it’s harming you.

[u/Internal-Lion-5955]

Ask yourself whether you've ever gotten the answer you were looking for by asking AI. Or even searching Google. Chances are all it has ever left you with is more questions, worst case scenarios, and more anxiety, so probably more symptoms. It isn't easy but try and resist the urge.

[u/Moist_crocs]

Just don't. There's no trick to it, you'll have to sit and be really uncomfortable and resist the compulsion.

[u/Top_Concentrate_5799]

Keep track in a file all of your assumed illnesses and how it all turns out. It works as physical proof of how wrong you are.

If you are interested, this is called ABC tool. Its actually a bit more structured. You can google it, or ask AI how ABC tool works

[u/Aggressive_Let2085]

I’ve done it too, but it’s not helpful at the end of the day. You can tell it you have health anxiety and have it respond based on that, so that it won’t reassure you. Do not use it for medical advice in any way though, maybe it says something right, maybe not, but you won’t know unless you can do the research properly

[u/jkhn7]

I simply don’t use AI, ever. It’s ruining the environment and I don’t trust it, it’s both biased and sometimes wrong. I also think when you start to use it you often become dependent on it since it’s easy. I don’t want that to happen to me.

[u/sweetT65]

I do this I’m afraid to say.  I can’t trust my own instincts to say if I should see a doctor.  But it knows I have HA and I’ve Asked it to turn on the reality filter. Not sure i should trust a bot either ugh. 

[u/Internal-Ad-7779]

I programmed my AI to know that I'm a hypochondriac and respond accordingly. So, I've been researching much less because it almost never mentions diseases but rather some common causes that may be happening to me.

[u/SherbrookHolmes]

Stop using AI. Just stop. ChatGPT is known to be wrong roughly 60% of the time. It just trawls the Internet for advice, including reddit. It is built to tell you what you want to hear, not what is correct.

People keep acting like AI is some all knowing God. No. AI is being trained by us using our data, humans lie on the Internet all the time, AI just eats that up and spits it out.

It is actually mind boggling to me how many people blindly trust a computer program. Especially one in it's infancy. This is not critical thinking. A human doctor that has gone to school for over a decade will be able to help you.

It also is terrible for the environment and is clearing aquifers of fresh water from low income, mostly Black communities.

Stop. Using. AI. Stop trusting computers when you should be using your brain.

[u/Simulationth3ry]

I still sometimes fall back into these patterns but at my worst, it was really bad😅honestly? Distract yourself with other stuff the best you can

[u/frenchynerd]

I'm gonna say the opposite of others and think it can be quite useful, hell reassure you when needed or point you to the next steps to follow.

State clearly that you have health anxiety and what you are feeling.

It will tell you the possible conditions related to these symptoms and what to look for to see if it's really serious.

It works better than Google which just says it's always ça***

Because yeah, lots of stuff do require medical follow up.

Also... One hour with a psychologist, 150$. A conversation with Chatgpt? Free. And can be quite helpful.

[u/SlightlyHastyEnt]

Tell the AI you have health anxiety and to stop reassuring you

[u/universe93]

You don’t need AI or doctor’s appointments, you need a therapist