The thyroid is a gland. You have glands throughout your body, where they create and release substances that help your body do a specific thing. Your thyroid makes hormones that help control many vital functions of your body. In this blog, we are going to talk about how thyroid affects your mental health.
Most people suffering from thyroid disorders often have poor emotional or mental health. Both overactive or an underactive thyroid create physical symptoms as well.
People with hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism have unpredictable mood changes, irritation, snappiness, or short-temper over small issues. Overactivity (Anxiety) or Underactivity (Depression) is the result of improper working of the thyroid gland.- which can add to feelings of low self-esteem and mood.
What causes Psychological or Mental Issues?
Abnormal thyroid hormones are the main cause of these changes inside the body & that’s how thyroid affects your mental health. Unsettling emotions, moodiness is the result of sudden changes in thyroid functioning. Poor thyroid hormone causes instability in the mind.
Effective control of the thyroid levels is mandatory to stabilize the mind and body. So thyroid levels should be maintained in the proper range to stabilize mood.
It is also sometimes seen that due to side effects of medications also psychological symptoms get elevated. Excess usage of steroids can enhance depression. Usually, the prescription drugs contain Beta-blockers which thereby slows down the heart rate. These drugs mainly reduce anxiety levels but can also make you feel tired and more depressed.
It is also seen that people suffering from Thyroid disorder struggle with physical appearance such as changes caused due to thyroid eye disease, sudden weight loss or gain and uncontrollable hair loss.
Stressful events in life, the mental trauma of some kind can also add to aggravated thyroid disease. Maintaining stress levels and keeping oneself happy manages thyroid to a longer extent. However, enhanced stress can make thyroid levels much worse and take longer to settle the hormones.
How to Manage thyroid
We talked about how the thyroid affects your mental health, so now we will discuss how you can manage your thyroid.
- Proper timing for consuming medicine
- Psychological Therapies
- Breathing Techniques
- Timely Motivation
- Irregular timings to take thyroid medicine can upset hormone levels
- Timely management of Thyroid
- Proper morning and evening walks
- Intake of 3 liters of Water daily
- Avoiding stressful situations
Psychotherapy and other relaxation techniques can benefit the patient and give them relief from physical causes such as physical, anxiety, or depression. Non-drug treatments are more persistent and if required you may also be prescribed antidepressant drugs.
Importance of Psychological Intervention
- Both emotional and mental wellbeing will improve as thyroid condition stabilizes,
- It is life long promising technique
- Mind and body align in proper direction
- Negative emotions are stopped as your symptoms improve
- Mood swings are reduced to much extent
- One mind joy even in small activities
- Boosting energy
- Mind relaxes
- Recovery is slow but but healing
- Always look into another cause for mental symptoms as well , other than a thyroid condition
- Confiding close friend or talking to someone suffering from same ( can help you during this difficult time
- Speak to your doctor and psychologist
Thyroid problems often are genetic and run in families. If any person is unwell … then he or she should be encouraged to talk to doctor and therapist as they will be best placed to advise you.
Do talk to your psychologist as well as medical practitioner to check your thyroid medication is properly balanced and looked into. Finding a proper support group can help you through this period.
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