I thought I was dying but it was health anxiety - here's how to recognise the signs

Hollie Sharman, 25, was convinced she was dying. At the height of her health anxiety she visited hospital "four to five times a week", once spending 13 hours in A&E — though test after test found nothing wrong.

It began with a panic attack in a restaurant toilet during her 22nd birthday meal — the trigger for years of health anxiety. She spent hours Googling symptoms or asking ChatGPT, withdrew from family and friends, and felt panicked and isolated. Her relationship suffered too: "Nothing he said would be the right thing," she says of her partner.

Sharman was eventually diagnosed with health anxiety and health-related obsessive compulsive disorder. She began logging her symptoms and how each episode resolved, so she could reassure herself when fear returned. She now makes videos about her experience, which have helped her parents understand her condition better.

Clinical psychologist Dr Kirren Schnack describes health anxiety as a constant, obsessional worry about being seriously ill. Warning signs include "checking" behaviours — repeatedly examining your body or taking your temperature — constantly seeking reassurance, and avoidance, such as skipping doctor appointments.

Her advice: treat symptoms that are new, concerning or persistent responsibly — book a GP appointment if they have not gone within two weeks. To manage the anxiety, she suggests challenging worst-case thinking, setting limits on reassurance-seeking, burning off nervous energy with jumping jacks, grounding yourself with strong sensations like holding an ice cube, and slow breathing.

Sharman says health anxiety "doesn't control her life any more". Her message to others: "You need to push yourself and do things when you're anxious — don't put your life on hold."