Hollie Sharman describes health anxiety and hospital visits

Health anxiety affects 25-year-old Hollie Sharman, who experienced frequent hospital visits and panic attacks before receiving a diagnosis of health anxiety and health-related obsessive-compulsive disorder. Sharman spent years caught in a cycle of severe distress, excessive symptom checking, and constant emergency room visits.

Hollie Sharman describes years of emergency room visits and constant symptom checking

Sharman stated that she visited the hospital four to five times a week while convinced she was dying. I think the longest I spent in A&E was 13 hours, she said. Her health anxiety triggered intense panic attacks, including one during her 22nd birthday meal that forced her to spend the time in a restaurant toilets.

The cycle involved searching online medical sources, using artificial intelligence platforms like ChatGPT, and seeking reassurance from healthcare staff who consistently found no physical illness. When physical sensations like weak legs appeared, she immediately interpreted them as signs of heart failure and returned to the hospital. The condition also strained her personal relationships and led her to disconnect from friends and family members.

Clinical psychologist Dr Kirren Schnack defines health anxiety and warning signs

Clinical psychologist Dr Kirren Schnack described health anxiety as an obsessional worry about being seriously ill or becoming seriously ill when you are not. Dr Schnack identified key warning signs that include checking behaviours, such as frequently examining your body, taking your temperature, blood pressure or researching symptoms online.

Reassurance-seeking represents another primary indicator, with affected individuals constantly asking the internet, friends or family for reassurance. Other individuals display avoidance behaviours—not looking at their body or going to doctors appointments because they fear the worst—while some may take on the persona of somebody who has an illness, slowing down their movements and stopping exercising.

Management strategies and recovery steps outlined by health professionals

Sharman managed to reach a better place with the support of her family and partner by utilizing practical writing techniques to break her anxiety cycles. I'd write down my symptoms like ‘chest pain, excruciating’. And then at the end of the day, I’d write that I was fine, she explained. She eventually began sharing her journey through videos on TikTok.

Dr Schnack advised that individuals experiencing new or persistent symptoms should consult the NHS website and schedule a GP appointment if symptoms persist for two weeks. Recommended coping mechanisms for managing acute anxiety episodes include challenging worst-case thinking, limiting reassurance-seeking, burning off anxious energy through quick bursts of movement, practicing grounding with ice cubes or strong tastes, and utilizing controlled breathing techniques.