Hypothyroidism's Effects on Mental Health are Underestimated
Thursday January 6, 2005
According to research recently reported on in the journal Hormone and Metabolic Research, the rate of depression is much higher in people who are hypothyroid than in the general population.
The 254 patients studied were hypothyroid after radioiodine (RAI) treatment for hyperthyroidism, or after surgical removal of the gland after thyroid cancer. According to the researchers, people who had normal thyroid levels, or who were hyperthyroid did not show evidence of mental health disturbances. Hypothyroidism, however, had a significant
impact, dramatically increasing the risk for what they termed "critical mood deterioration." The researchers concluded that "hypothyroidism represents a widely underestimated functional condition that may severely affect mental health."
Read more now about Thyroid Disease and Depression
Read more now about Thyroid Disease and Depression
Source: Larisch, et. al., "Depression and anxiety in different thyroid function states." Hormone Metab Res, 2004;36(9):650-653.
Comments
Very interesting, i have split up with my girl friend who had graves disease at he age of 22. She was treated with radioiodine that made her hypothyroid. she has taken thyroxine since. Her yearly blood tests seem to be satisfactory. But she has major mood swings and i believe she has bipolar disorder/cyclothymic. She lives in total denial about the posibility that there may be something wrong. Can the person have long term problems even if blood tests show that all is ok? I would be very interested in any other info. Thanks Michael Martin uk
After loosing my throid to cancer, I have found the hpothroidism much more difficult to live with anything else. Along with depression I suffer from what I call swiss cheese brain. I don’t retain info as well and that in its self is very depressing. I just wish more people undersood.
Ohhh my God!!! I THOUGHT THAT I WAS GOING CRAZY!!!
Ohhh my God!!! I THOUGHT THAT I WAS GOING CRAZY!!!
My 16 year old daughter became hypothyroid 5 years ago. Since then, her school performance really diminshed. We had a math tutor for her this year, but I had the chance to see that despite this support, she would forget how to apply the concepts on homework or tests. After talking to her endo, he tells me her levels look fine…looking for a new endo.There has to be some way to help her out of this fog and “flat” state.
This is for Mike Martin. A “normal” range may not be considered normal anymore. A new “normal” range is now recognized by many professionals since so many people felt hypothyroid in the normal range and I can attest to this as true. I have been told that my thyroid labs were in the normal range but yet i still felt hypothyroid. I am now seeing an endocrinologist who believes in the new normal range and I feel better. Hope this helps!
My 15 year old daughter was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s a year and a half ago and we only just got her levels correct. She takes both Levothyroxine and Cytomel (T3). Before being diagnosed, she was severely depressed and suicidal and went from being a consistent honor roll student to failing almost everything. If she forgets her medication, her mood is severely affected…angry/hostile/depressed. I’ve said this to doctors and psychiatrists before and they look at me like I’m an idiot. It’s nice to get a little vindication! I’m not making it up or imagining it.
My thyroid stopped working in my second pregnancy. My husband and friends have come to nickname me “thycho”. There are days where I feel as if I am completely losing my mind! It depresses me to think that I will have to medicate the rest of my life to keep this disease under control. I am afraid that my mood swings(anger/rage/crying) are going to severly affect my small children. It is comforting to know that there are others out there who are going through the same thing.
I was diagnosed with Hashimoto few months back while I had this disease for at least 1 year back when I first performed my TSH which showed low levels and my doctor thought it is on the border line.
What concerns me more is memory loss and losing of concentration and focus.
I’m 31 years old married male. I keep thinking of my kids future, that is too sad.
Regards
Thank you - I did know and have sensed that my thyroid condition affected me in the way that you describe. Not being able to pick up the “signals” from others and therefore ending up being “pushy” is just so humiliating. Because you don’t realize at the time. I would like to go back to the person that I was before hypo-thryoid, but this article helped me realize that this isn’t going to happen. I’m always exhausted and this makes me irritable, and unaware of the things I should know to counter-balance the effect that my thyroid condition has on the people that I love. As I still appear “normal” people are always nagging me and getting at me for not achieving much, but it is so difficult just to function. This article might help them to get off my case!!!
I have hypothyroidism since sept 08. Its driving me crazy! My recent TSH came back 16.05! I don’t care about all the physical symptoms but this whole depression thing is unreal! Im just wondering does any body suffer from obsessive thoughts, I was totally normal until my thyroid started going wacky! Now I have weird thoughts, but I will admit when my tsh was brought down to 2.41 I felt a world better but its not so good now that its gone up! Does anyone know what wrong with me????