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Thyroid disease: Can it affect a person's mood?
By Mayo Clinic staffOriginal Article: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/thyroid-disease/AN00986
- With Mayo Clinic endocrinologist
Todd B. Nippoldt, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Todd B. Nippoldt, M.D.
Todd Nippoldt, M.D.
Dr. Todd Nippoldt is a board-certified specialist in internal medicine and endocrinology and metabolism. He has special expertise in the area of hormone disorders affecting the pituitary and adrenal glands as well as the testes and ovaries. He has been a member of the Mayo Clinic staff since 1988.
He's a consultant in the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Nutrition and works with patients who have disorders of the hormone-producing glands. Common disorders include diabetes, thyroid problems, osteoporosis and elevated cholesterol levels.
He's also involved in andrology, the study of male hormonal disorders, male infertility and male sexual dysfunction, and is an assistant professor of medicine at College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Nippoldt, a St. Paul, Minn., native, has also contributed to "Mayo Clinic Health Letter," the "Mayo Clinic Family Health Book" and a Mayo Clinic CD-ROM. He's a fellow in the American College of Physicians and a member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the American Society of Andrology, The Endocrine Society, The Pituitary Society and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists.
"I have found that those patients who have gone to the Internet and obtained accurate medical information come to their appointment with me very well informed, and the discussions regarding the evaluation and management of their condition are very productive and satisfying," he says.
"The key, however, is obtaining accurate medical information. As a medical editor, I hope to be able to ensure that accurate, relevant and up-to-date information is available for patients and their families."
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Question
Thyroid disease: Can it affect a person's mood?
Can thyroid disease affect my mood?
Answer
from Todd B. Nippoldt, M.D.
Yes, thyroid disease can affect your mood — primarily causing either anxiety or depression. Generally, the more severe the thyroid disease, the more severe the mood changes.
If you have an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism), you may experience unusual nervousness, restlessness, anxiety and irritability. On the opposite end of the spectrum, if you have an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), you may experience mild to severe fatigue and depression.
Still, it's unlikely that emotional symptoms such as anxiety or depression would be the only evidence of thyroid disease. Thyroid disease is usually associated with signs and symptoms such as weight gain or loss, sensitivity to hot or cold, bowel movement changes, and menstrual irregularities.
Appropriate treatment — such as medication that blocks your body's ability to produce new thyroid hormone or replaces missing thyroid hormone — usually improves both emotional and physical symptoms caused by thyroid disease.
- Hypothyroidism. American Thyroid Association. http://www.thyroid.org/patients/brochures/Hypo_brochure.pdf. Accessed Oct. 6, 2010.
- Hyperthyroidism. American Thyroid Association. http://www.thyroid.org/patients/brochures/Hyper_brochure.pdf. Accessed Oct. 6, 2010.
- Samuels MH. Cognitive function in untreated hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Obesity. 2008;15:429.
- Bauer M, et al. The thyroid-brain interaction in thyroid disorders and mood disorders. Journal of Neuroendocrinology. 2008;20:1101.
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