Hollie Sharman Explains How to Recognise Health Anxiety

What changed

Hollie Sharman says health anxiety once sent her to hospital four or five times a week, including one 13-hour A&E wait. She was eventually diagnosed with health anxiety and health-related OCD; psychologist Dr Kirren Schnack describes the pattern as persistent fear of serious illness, often expressed through symptom-checking, reassurance-seeking, avoidance and repeated online research.

Why it matters

The cruel trick is that reassurance can become part of the loop. Sharman would leave hospital after tests found nothing wrong, notice another sensation, search it online and return convinced the danger had moved elsewhere.

That does not mean worrying symptoms should be ignored. New, concerning or persistent symptoms still need appropriate medical assessment. But once serious illness has been checked, the repeated checking itself may be a sign that anxiety needs attention too.

Sharman says writing down her symptoms and later recording that she was well gave her something concrete to revisit when the fear returned. Support from her family and partner also helped. Her broader lesson is practical: anxiety may not disappear before life resumes, so waiting to feel perfectly safe can keep the cycle in charge.