‘Normal People’ Star Daisy Edgar-Jones Suffers from a Strange Mental Illness

Those with anxiety know the struggle of worrying about the littlest of things. In fact, this mental health issue can manifest in many other forms, as what happened to Daisy Edgar-Jones, an actress famous for playing Marianne in the much talked about series ‘Normal People.’

Hypochondria

In her recent guest stint at ‘How To Fail’ podcast, the star revealed to host Elizabeth Day the problems she had faced because of anxiety, which appeared as hypochondria, a condition that is also known as illness anxiety disorder. According to Mayo Clinic, this is when a person excessively worries that he/she is or may become severely sick.

BBC/Element Pictures — Daisy suffered from hypochondria

An individual who has hypochondria tends to think that normal body sensations are signs that they have an underlying illness even if several medical tests have found no physiological issues. This may result in distress that could interrupt a patient’s life.

Daisy Edgar-Jones’ Battle

In order to feel she is in control of her situation, Daisy would Google her symptoms. The actress believes that her struggles began when she and her friends finished high school. At the time, her friends were heading to universities while she was focusing on her acting career.

She was left to pursue her passion, which wasn’t easy, she admitted. Daisy kept on chasing auditions after auditions and there would be roles that she didn’t get that would really break her heart. When that happened, she would doubt her decisions and wondered if it was right to put off school for this profession.

Enda Bowle/Hulu — Daisy stars with Paul Mescal in ‘Normal People’

The 22-year-old likened the auditioning experience to dating, when a person asks you out and you immediately think you’re the right fit. Then, he calls you back again for a couple of dates, hinting that you have a chance. When you feel that he’s going to ask you out, you will be surprised to know that he has found another.

Because of these heartbreaks, she questioned herself if she made the right decision. This triggered her anxiety, which she said would come in waves. It didn’t help that she remembered her friends at the university, which only made her wonder if she was missing out in life.

Getting Better

Nuttapol Sn/ Shutterstock — Daisy has stopped googling to avoid overthinking

During those days, even a simple rash would have Daisy Googling what could be the reason for it. She thought that overthinking could somehow give her control of the situation because if she found something that’s sinister even before it became worse, she would feel she got a hold of things.

This thinking may have stemmed from the death of her uncle and grandfather when she was still young. Now, she has found ways to deal with this matter, including not looking up everything she feels on the internet.