Depression and Anxiety The thyroid gland can be to blame

Depression and Anxiety The thyroid gland can be to blame

A sick thyroid gland can cause depression and Anxiety. Therefore, if you have psychological problems, always have your thyroid examined.

Relationship between depression, Anxiety, and the thyroid gland discovered

Many people suffer from depression and Anxiety - and chronic thyroid problems are also on the rise, particularly chronic thyroiditis Hashimoto's thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease believed to affect around 10 percent of the population.

Researchers at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and the University Hospital Bonn have now discovered together with, a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy in Bamberg, found a clear connection between the two problems.

In depression and Anxiety, the thyroid is often sick

"At discovered a clear connection between autoimmune thyroiditis and depression and Anxiety. The association was particularly striking in people who suffered from depression and anxiety in equal measure. I found that more than half of all patients with depression and Anxiety also had elevated levels of antibodies, an indication of autoimmune thyroid disease. I decided to research the matter more intensively. "

40 percent of all depressed people have an autoimmune thyroid disease

In the corresponding meta-study, the researchers evaluated 21 independent studies carried out on a total of 36,174 participants. 35,168 of them suffered from depression, 34,094 from Anxiety.

It has today been shown that patients with autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) suffered 3.5 times more often from depression and 2.3 times from Anxiety than patients who did not have thyroid inflammation. It means that 40 percent of all depressed people and 30 percent of all patients with Anxiety were also AIT patients.

If a doctor recognizes this connection, he can treat it completely differently. Thyroid disease is then in the foreground and no longer necessarily depression or fears. Because as soon as the thyroiditis is under control, the psychological complaints naturally decrease.

In the case of depression and anxiety, it is essential to examine the thyroid gland!

Expert advises that all patients suffering from depression and Anxiety be checked for AIT. Most patients - feel very relieved as soon as they learn that their symptoms are due to thyroid disease. It is not unusual for persons affected to hear that there is no explanation for their fears and depressive symptoms.

Hashimoto's thyroiditis: The autoimmune inflammation of the thyroid

In Hashimoto's thyroiditis, the thyroid gland is chronically inflamed. In the disease, there are repeated symptoms of under function and over function. It also includes inner restlessness, tension, and exhaustion. Most women fall ill between the ages of 30 and 50. Men are affected significantly less often.

 

Since the disease often coincides with the onset of menopause and does not cause any pain, the symptoms are often interpreted as typical problems of menopause. The blood values ​​ specific for autoimmune thyroid inflammation are also not checked during routine examinations. As a result, many patients are sedated with antidepressants or anti-anxiety medication while their thyroid disease goes undetected.

Therefore, if you suffer from depression and Anxiety and your doctor does not think about Hashimoto's thyroiditis, remind him of this!

 

* An exciting book about the thyroid can be found here: Heal Your Thyroid: The Truth About Hashimoto, Over- and Under-, Thyroid Nodules, Tumors and Cysts

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