Page No.204-212
Komal Bumra and V. N. Yadav
Central University of Haryana
People use internet in variety of ways. One of these is to find out the health-related
issues they face. The internet may or may not provide factual information. The internet
searches regarding physical and mental health issues are often misleading. Even
unsuspecting individuals may harm themselves and others by following what is on the
internet. It can further develop into anxiety and depressive symptoms along with other
mental and physical health issues. It can impact the overall well-being of individuals. It
may become a barrier during treatment. The terminology “IDIOT syndrome (Internet
Derived Information Obstructing Treatment)” fits in this context. The present study
investigates status of mental health due to IDIOT syndrome and socio-demographic
variables on a sample of 150 adults (aged between 30-40 years). Cyberchondria Severity
Scale (CSS) and Mental Health Inventory-38 (MHI) were used to collect data that was
further analysed using statistical tools like descriptive statistics and ANOVA. The
significant differences were found in the scores of high and low levels of IDIOT syndrome
on global mental health (F=15.00, df=1, 142, p<0.01). The implications and limitations
were also discussed in this study