Hypothyroidism

Lesson 2: Common Thyroid Dysfunctions and Related Conditions

The Thyroid/Mental Illness Connection

There is a strong thyroid/depression link. Perhaps, that statement is a bit misleading. Rather, many people suspect and believe that there is a thyroid/depression link. There’s no hard proof of the correlation, however.

What is interesting is that the symptoms of thyroid dysfunction, specifically hypothyroidism, often mimic those of depression. Fatigue, apathy, sleep problems and more are common to both disorders.

Unfortunately, depending upon who you talk to you on what given day, you may get various answers to the question,

What comes first – thyroid dysfunction or mental illness?

There are just too many variables or problems to answer the question satisfactorily.

Another variable or problem is that the mental illness may be a misdiagnosis of a thyroid condition. Yes, misdiagnoses do occur, especially when symptoms of varying conditions are similar.

Depression and thyroid dysfunction are not seen to be complementary conditions so when a person is diagnosed with one, the other is rarely mentioned or suspected. So, a person could reasonably have been diagnosed as depressed when he or she was hypothyroid or vice versa.

There is also some evidence that certain antidepressants, most notably those of the Lithium variety, can cause a reduction in the production of thyroid hormone. Another interesting tidbit to note is that, more and more, doctors prescribe thyroid hormones in conjunction with antidepressant medications to help make said antidepressants more effective.

Studies have shown that the introduction of thyroid hormones, specifically T3, helps to facilitate the entry of the antidepressant into the system. Therefore, the antidepressant works quicker than it would without the thyroid hormone. That’s probably because thyroid hormones have such an important role in the metabolism.

Of course, this can also have a negative impact. Side effects from the antidepressants have also been shown to be more pronounced in many cases when T3 was used simultaneously.

So, how does the thyroid affect mood? It’s a really interesting question that doesn’t seem to have a definitive answer. Some theorists state that if a person has thyroid hormone difficulties, then he or she (usually she) must have other hormonal problems.

These hormones could be the cause of the mood changes associated with the thyroid disease and not the thyroid itself.

Remember: the thyroid is part of the endocrine system which includes pituitary, ovarian, adrenal and metabolic functions.

As a power player in the metabolism, the thyroid affects many parts and systems of the body including the brain. For example, a person with too little T4 can feel really anxious, nervous and foggy (confused).

When the metabolism is too slow, as it is in the hypothyroid person, the body does not efficiently or quickly turn food into energy. That fact can lead to fatigue and other symptoms that mimic depression too.

I must admit that these are basically theories. There is much more scholarship and research that needs to be done on the thyroid/depression link, even if it is a well-established “fact”.

I know, from my own experience, that I was diagnosed with depression first. I resisted taking antidepressants for my own reasons. Finally, in January of 2001, I learned that my thyroid function was low as was my body’s production (and subsequent retention) of serotonin.

At that time, I had a doctor who was savvy enough to prescribe an antidepressant and a synthetic thyroid hormone. The treatment worked very well for me until I got pregnant for the second time. I’m still trying to balance my thyroid as a result of that hormonal stressor. It’s been almost two years since my daughter was born.

I know when my thyroid function is out of whack because I feel more anxious and more depressed. I am not sure why, but I realize after researching this topic, that I am certainly not alone in making this connection. I am also not alone in my inability to pinpoint exactly why it is so.

When dealing with the thyroid it’s very important to realize that endocrinology deals with a lot of gray matter (and I’m not just talking about the brain). We just don’t have all the knowledge of the human body that perhaps we should, at least not in the West.

Later on in this course, we’ll discuss some alternative treatments that can help the hypothyroid but may not be mentioned by your primary care physician.

In the next section, we’ll begin to look at some specific, related conditions called autoimmune disorders.

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