OCD and Thyroid Function: Unraveling Connections

So as you can see, anxiety alone can encompass a lot of symptoms and be overlooked by a parent. If your teenager has any of these symptoms, the underpinning cause may very well be thyroid disease, either high or low. For individuals struggling with OCD, particularly those with treatment-resistant symptoms, considering thyroid health as part of the overall treatment strategy may offer new hope.

General Detoxification Support

Individuals with OCD often exhibit altered cortisol patterns, which may contribute to the heightened anxiety and stress responses characteristic of the disorder. Some studies have found lower levels of testosterone in men with OCD compared to healthy controls, suggesting a potential protective effect of this hormone against OCD symptoms. While these traditional explanations and treatments have provided relief for many individuals with OCD, they don’t always paint the complete picture.

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TSH levels were normal in 55 (37.9%) of the patients, low in 33 (22.8%), and high in 54 (37.2%). Anti-TPO was positive in 95 (65.5%) of patients, anti-TG was positive in 67 (50.4%), and anti-TSH was positive in 32 (22.1%) of patients. For Hashimoto’s, different diets can be helpful, but generally, a Paleo-style diet that focuses on an abundance of whole foods works well for many people. The Paleo diet eliminates gluten, dairy, and soy, all of which are common food sensitivities for those with Hashimoto’s.

There’s a connection between mood and thyroid.

Epigenetics is where genes can be modified by environmental factors (basically turning them on or off), including infections, toxin exposures, stress, and childhood trauma as a few examples. Familial risk, then, represents more than just an underlying genetic vulnerability, but possibly an increased risk due to familial clustering of unfavorable family circumstances (poor diet, toxins, etc.) in early life. This article focuses on the strong link between Hashimoto’s (elevated thyroid antibodies) and having OCD or developing OCD tendencies. Interestingly, Strep infections have also been linked to both OCD and Hashimoto’s, and I’ll talk about that connection as well. Based on these clinical observations, it isn’t surprising to me that the research has found that people with thyroid antibodies will often have obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Thyroid disorders and their impact on mental health

In a survey I did in 2015 with over 2000 people with Hashimoto’s, data showed that having a TSH level between 1 and 2 μIU/mL, and in some cases less than 1 μIU/mL, helped improve mood symptoms. OCD is most commonly treated with the tricyclic antidepressant clomipramine or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as fluoxetine, sertraline, paroxetine, fluvoxamine, escitalopram, citalopram, and venlafaxine. I’ll talk a bit more about the link between the gut microbiome (including Strep overgrowth in the gut), Hashimoto’s, and OCD in the next section.

• Some patients experience significant relief from their obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors, while others may see more modest improvements.
• When thyroid cells are broken down, they release thyroid hormones into the bloodstream.
• Instead, you practice tolerating your discomfort and anxiety, habituating to these feelings over time so that they make less of an impact in your life.
• While these traditional explanations and treatments have provided relief for many individuals with OCD, they don’t always paint the complete picture.
• Hashimoto’s disease, which is considered among the important and common diseases of the thyroid, is an inflammation caused by autoantibodies against the thyroid gland.
• Evidence suggests that OCD may result from immune system dysfunction and inflammation.

Keep Hashimoto’s in mind as you think about these potential causes, since both conditions share many underlying commonalities. Most doctors will perform a physical exam to ensure a patient’s symptoms aren’t due to other reasons. People who have obsessive-compulsive disorder typically have both obsessions and related compulsions, but sometimes they may only have one or the other. Results of this program have been synthroid l10 incredible for those with anxiety – 86 percent of participants reported reduced anxiety by the end of the program. Additionally, 92 percent had reduced mental fog, 89 percent reported reduced fatigue, and 85 percent felt less irritable.

There is an entire field of research called immuno-neuropsychiatry, which focuses on the “gut-brain” axis. It looks at how chronic inflammation, autoimmunity, gastrointestinal health, and psychological stress can impact neurological health and psychiatric disorders. PANDAS, based on a Streptococcus pyogenes infection, immune system activation, and an OCD outcome, is one example of immune-neuropsychiatry in action.

Thyroid hormones have an essential role in brain maturation and neuronal functioning. The comorbidity of thyroid disorders and several mental disturbances is frequently reported. We aimed to evaluate the literature on the potential relationship between thyroid disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS). Despite some methodological limitations, the OCD rates in patients with autoimmune thyroid disorders were found to be higher than the normal population in two studies. In the light of available data, it could be proposed that there might be a possible association between thyroid disorders and OCD. Some shared immunological mechanisms could play a role in the pathophysiology of both thyroid diseases and OCD.

The OCD and Hashimoto’s Connection

The complex interplay between various biological systems in our bodies suggests that other factors, including hormones, may be influential in the manifestation and severity of OCD symptoms. They actually can help long-term without tiring out, they cause you to produce more of your own hormones and neurotransmitters, and they might help immediately, like on Day one or two, or the first week. While iodine is needed and essential for your thyroid and proper thyroid hormone production, it does not prevent hypothyroidism of Hashimoto’s. People say it all the time, “I eat iodized salt, so I’m fine.” Iodine is critical for reproductive health.

OCD, a mental health condition characterized by persistent, intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviors, affects millions of people worldwide. While the exact causes of OCD remain elusive, emerging research suggests that thyroid dysfunction may play a significant role in the development and exacerbation of OCD symptoms. In fact, studies have shown that individuals with OCD are more likely to have thyroid disorders compared to the general population, hinting at a potential underlying connection between these two seemingly disparate conditions. In the case of hypothyroidism, where there is an underproduction of thyroid hormones, individuals may experience symptoms such as fatigue, lethargy, and difficulty concentrating. For instance, a person with a history of anxiety, depression, or OCD may experience worse symptoms during hormone fluctuations. Research has increasingly shown a strong link between thyroid dysfunction and various mental health issues, including the occurrence of intrusive thoughts.