Latest / Morning Medical with Dr. Chow / I thought I was dying but it was health anxiety - here's how to recognise the signs

Transcript

I thought I was dying but it was health anxiety - here's how to recognise the signs · Morning Medical with Dr. Chow

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  Welcome to Morning Medical with Doctor Chow, where we explore the latest in medical and
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  health news from around the world.
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  I am your host, Doctor Chi-Ming Chow, and today, we are diving into a topic that affects
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  many people but is often misunderstood—health anxiety.
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  This is episode number five hundred and twenty.
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  Today, we are looking at the story of Hollie Sharman, a young woman who experienced severe
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  health anxiety, leading her to believe she was dying.
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  Hollie would visit the hospital four to five times a week, convinced that her excruciating
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  chest pain was a sign of something life-threatening.
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  Despite numerous tests, doctors found nothing physically wrong with her.
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  Hollie's journey with health anxiety began in childhood, but it became particularly intense
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  after a panic attack during her twenty-second birthday.
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  She spent countless hours searching for symptoms online, using tools like ChatGPT, and
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  found herself trapped in a cycle of worry and hospital visits.
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  This constant search for answers left her feeling isolated and panicked.
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  Clinical psychologist Doctor Kirren Schnack describes health anxiety as an "obsessional
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  worry" about being seriously ill.
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  Key signs include frequent body checking, taking temperatures, and researching symptoms
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  online.
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  People with health anxiety might also seek constant reassurance from the internet or loved
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  ones, or avoid looking at their body due to fear of discovering something wrong.
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  Hollie was eventually diagnosed with health anxiety and health-related obsessive compulsive
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  disorder.
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  With support from her family and partner, she learned to manage her anxiety using techniques
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  such as writing down her symptoms and reflecting on past experiences when she thought
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  she was dying but was not.
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  Doctor Schnack suggests several strategies for managing health anxiety.
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  These include challenging worst-case thinking by providing alternative explanations for
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  physical sensations, limiting reassurance-seeking, engaging in physical
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  activity to burn off anxious energy, and using grounding techniques like sensory experiences
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  and breathing exercises.
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  Hollie's story is a reminder that health anxiety can be debilitating, but with the right
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  support and strategies, it can be managed.
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  If you or someone you know is experiencing health anxiety, consider reaching out to a
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  mental health professional for guidance.
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  Thank you for joining us today on Morning Medical with Doctor Chow.
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  I hope you found today's discussion on health anxiety enlightening and helpful.
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  Be sure to tune in tomorrow for more insights into the world of health and medicine.
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  Until then, take care and stay healthy.