Research suggests a strong association between Hashimoto's disease and an increased risk of depression or anxiety disorders. Hashimoto's disease and anxiety disorders are associated closely enough that researchers suggest people diagnosed with either condition receive screening for the other.
Psychiatric Signs and Symptoms
Many symptoms of psychological dysfunction have been described with hypothyroidism. Those symptoms most commonly related to thyroid deficiency include forgetfulness, fatigue, mental slowness, inattention, and emotional lability.
Summary. Hashimoto encephalopathy (HE) affects the brain and how the brain works. Symptoms of HE may include behavior changes, confusion, cognitive difficulty, and seizures. Psychosis, including visual hallucinations and paranoid delusions, has also been reported.
Affected individuals may be inattentive, lack concentration, and fail to understand basic concepts. They can also exhibit behavioral changes including depression, anxiety, emotional instability, social withdrawal, and changes in their personality.
Psychiatric symptoms associated with hypothyroidism include: Fatigue, including issues with sleeping and feeling very tired. Cognitive issues, such as memory problems and slow thinking. Low mood or depression.
Severe hypothyroidism can cause abnormal brain development and low intelligence. Similarly, if the mother is severely deficient in iodine in early pregnancy, the child may also have low intelligence.
With such a dramatic swing in symptoms, it is easy to see how Hashimoto's disease could be misdiagnosed as a mental illness like manic depression or bipolar disorder. And it happens much too often.
Symptoms may include an enlarged thyroid gland (goiter), tiredness, weight gain, and muscle weakness. You don't need treatment if your thyroid hormone levels are normal. If you have an underactive thyroid, medicine can help.
If Hashimoto's is left untreated, complications can be life-threatening. Because the hormones produced by the thyroid are so vital to the body's functions, untreated Hashimoto's can lead to serious and even life-threatening complications.
Living with Hashimoto's disease can be difficult due to its unpleasant signs and symptoms. Some studies² indicate that people with Hashimoto's are more likely to suffer from anxiety disorders and depression. Signs and symptoms of Hashimoto's disease include: Depression.
Research has shown that thyroid gland dysfunction (marked by changes in thyroid hormone concentration) can adversely impact cognitive functions, which helps to explain why so many people with Hashimoto's are affected by symptoms of brain fog.
Hashimoto's hypothyroidism and brain fog
Autoimmunity can cause inflammation in the brain, leading to brain fog. Also, autoimmune attacks in the brain are more common than people realize, a risk for those with Hashimoto's hypothyroidism. This, too, is linked with brain fog.
Hashimoto's disease is a common cause of hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid). It is an autoimmune condition. Immune system cells attack the thyroid gland, causing inflammation and, in most cases, eventual destruction of the gland. This reduces the thyroid's ability to make hormones.
However, even though Hashimoto's disease and the hypothyroidism it causes can have widespread effects on your mind and body, it doesn't need to control your life. With good treatment, a healthy lifestyle, and a strong support system, you can still live a full and happy life even with chronic disease.
Taking your hormone replacement medication, eating a healthy diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables, exercising, and getting enough sleep can help boost your energy levels when you have Hashimoto's disease.
The latter include Hashimoto's encephalopathy, which has a prevalence of 2.1 per 100,000 and mean age at onset of 44–46 years (4). Clinical features include acute confusion or diffuse progressive pattern of cognitive impairment, seizures, tremors, hyperreflexia, or psychosis (1).
The end-stage of Hashimoto's is when your thyroid has become so damaged that you no longer have enough thyroid hormones and have to go on medication.
Hashimoto's disease tends to worsen with age because it is progressive. The disease generally progresses slowly over many years and can cause progressive damage to the thyroid glands. Additionally, it is expected that those with Hashimoto's disease will eventually get hypothyroidism, though this is not always the case.
Symptoms of a Hashimoto's Flare-Up
Constipation. Dry skin. Puffy face. Muscle aches.
Symptoms of Hashimoto's can take a toll on your social life. Fatigue, depression, and anxiety can each make socializing a challenge. And, if other symptoms, like brain fog or pain, bring discomfort, social activities that aren't necessary may feel off the table. Addressing the root cause of these symptoms can help.
True or false: hypothyroidism causes premature aging
With proper treatment, your thyroid hormone function will return to normal, thus reversing some of your “aging” symptoms over time. With untreated hypothyroidism, you will continue to experience symptoms that can mimic premature aging.
Levothyroxine-treated hypothyroid women were more likely to have anxiety (OR = 2.08, CI: 1.28–3.38) and depression (OR = 3.13, IC = 1.45–6.45). Conclusion: In spite of receiving treatment with levothyroxine, women with hypothyroidism are more likely to have depression and anxiety.
Hashimoto's thyroiditis is a type of autoimmune disease — your immune system doesn't recognize your thyroid as your own and attacks it. Hashimoto's disease is common and affects about five people in 100 in the United States.