Hyperthyroidism and Mental Health

One question that I keep asking myself as I write this article is why I am writing this? I may not have a
definite answer but I feel challenged to write about it for I have had to deal with it for the past 28years
on a daily basis. Am also becoming aware of how people are suffering in silence from its effects mentally
and physically as it becomes an epidemic silently. I feel the need to speak up so that I can at least help
someone going through the same. What is this am writing about? It’s my thyroid gland (a small butterfly-shaped gland that sits at the base of the throat). Why am I writing about my thyroid in a mental health
forum you may ask, but it’s very serious and affects your mental health in a very serious way. My
condition is called HYPERTHYROIDISM.
What is hyperthyroidism?
Hyperthyroidism is an endocrine disorder caused by overproduction of the hormone thyroxine. While it
has a number of causes the most common is Graves’ disease (an autoimmune disorder in which the
the body attacks the thyroid as it would a virus or a bacteria) as a defence the thyroid fights back by
overproducing the hormone thyroxine.
Hyperthyroidism association with psychiatric-spectrum symptoms is well recognized as the brain has
among the highest expression of thyroid hormone receptor of any organ and neurons are often more
sensitive to thyroid abnormalities than other tissues. Hyperthyroid patients are significantly more likely
to present psychiatric symptoms that often affect their mental health. These symptoms include:
Anxiety, depression, psychosis, hypomania, psychomotor agitation, insomnia, paranoia, mixed mood
disorders, nervousness, hand and body tremors, excessive sweating,  mood disorders, irritability, focus
issues, memory problems, edginess’, delirium, agoraphobia, panic attacks, suicidal thoughts, intrusive
ego-dystonic thoughts and many more. Because of all these hyperthyroidism people is advised by their
endocrinologist(thyroid specialist) to constantly visit a psychiatric and a psychologist to keep their
mental health in check and for medication which they combine with the thyroid medication. A
psychiatric may diagnose some of these symptoms as bipolar disorder, or obsessive-compulsive disorder
among others.
This is part of my story with hyperthyroidism and what I went through especially in my teenage years.
It all started 28 years ago or thereabout I was about 11 years and in standard five. I was playing with my
the elder brother then all of a sudden everything became dark all quiet only the voices in my head like
something was boiling or the hissing sound made by safari ants then there was light again at that
the moment I didn’t know what really happened and I could not explain little did I know it was the beginning
of a long and sometimes lonely journey. These blackouts as I came to understand them became
frequent then I started getting easily irritated by anything and everyone and the tears would not stop
rolling down my face for no apparent reason,  sweating, trembling even in class to a tiny me even the
teachers could not understand and my parents were starting to get worried  the sleep disappeared I
became the family alarm the fear set in and I would not sleep alone like I used to I started screaming at
the slightest fright or even the thought of being alone in a room I lost weight even though my appetite
had increased abnormally. Earlier my teachers had noticed a change in my concentration and they had
complained severally to my parents who thought maybe is just a phase in my life that would go away from.