Читать книгу The Healthy Thyroid: What you can do to prevent and alleviate thyroid imbalance - Patsy Westcott - Страница 47

It may not always be easy for you – or your doctor – to distinguish between depression and hypothyroidism because the two conditions have many symptoms in common. In fact, some doctors surmise that an underfunctioning thyroid may be an indicator of depression. Others think that depression can put you more at risk of developing thyroid antibodies by impairing immune function, which may, in turn, lead to hypothyroidism.

Carol’s story is fairly typical:

I felt extremely fatigued, had trouble getting up in the morning and wanted to sleep all day. Sometimes I took a day or two off work and did just that – slept for 24 hours. I was also very tearful and had problems concentrating, making decisions, even thinking. I couldn’t watch TV or read – it was too much effort. I took about three months off work. I had a nice GP at the time and he diagnosed depression. I had a feeling it was something more physical as I didn’t feel depressed in the way it was described in the books. I wanted to do things, but I had no energy. I took antidepressants for five years. They helped my mood, which enabled me to return to work, but I had little energy for anything else.

Table 3.1 Symptoms common to both hypothyroidism and depression

• Feeling miserable and ‘down in the dumps’

• Anxiety

• Irritability

• Loss of interest or pleasure in things that you used to enjoy, such as sex

• Lack of energy

• Feeling tired all the time

• Weight changes

• Appetite changes

• Sleep disturbances

• Difficulty concentrating

Table 3.2 Clues to help you to determine whether you have hypothyroidism or depression