Posted by Gothmog on February 14, 2004, at 0:01:04
In reply to Reminder - Check that thyroid, posted by Maxime on February 12, 2004, at 11:42:09
The thing about thyroid problems and depression/bipolar is which came first, the chicken or the egg? I have been diagnosed as hypothyroid at the age of 38 at the same time as depression and anxiety, but while I can't say for sure when my thyroid became abnormal I remember fairly vividly when I started falling apart mentally. I was about 13. I hit the awkward age and never recovered from it. Was I hypothyroid then? A good question, but probably not. It would be nice to blame everything on my thyroid, and if taking Synthroid alone would make everything change, I would be thrilled. There are lots of studies linking thyroid problems with depression and bipolar disorder, but like most of the other physical markers that go along with mental illness, it isn't perfectly clear what the connection is. It may be that depression causes thyroid problems, and that isn't just my personal pet theory. I have heard it suggested before by those with the proper credentials. It may not be as unlikely as it sounds if you think about it. Anxiety resembles the hyperthyroid condition. If it lasts too long, maybe the body reacts by producing thyroid antibodies, because it is tricked into thinking the thyroid is enlarged or cancerous.
poster:Gothmog
thread:312449
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040210/msgs/313088.html