Question:
Ok here goes
I've found some information on Hypothyroid, for those of you interested. Hypothyroid can cause depression. It's just one of the symptoms.
Makes sense to me. I am now clinically diagnosed as having Hypothyroid and it seems that one of those symptoms are depression. Hmmmm. I stopped in at the alt.support.thyroid news group and found out I'm not the only person who was diagnosed bipolar and put on antidepressants and found out later that
they were also hypothyroid. Makes a person wonder how many other ppl who are diagnosed as bipolar might actually not be...
Doesn't hurt to check....
Hypothyroidism Risks/Symptoms Checklist by Mary Shomon
You can use this checklist to bring to your doctor to help aid in getting a
proper diagnosis of hypothyroidism, or as background information in your
discussions regarding fine-tuning your dosage so you are at the optimal TSH
level for your own level of wellness.
I have the following symptoms of hypothyroidism, as detailed by the Merck
Manual, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, and the
Thyroid Foundation of America
I am gaining weight inappropriately
I'm unable to lose weight with diet/exercise
I am constipated, sometimes severely
I have hypothermia/low body temperature (I feel cold when others feel hot, I
need extra sweaters, etc.)
I feel fatigued, exhausted
Feeling run down, sluggish, lethargic
My hair is coarse and dry, breaking, brittle, falling out
My skin is coarse, dry, scaly, and thick
I have a hoarse or gravely voice
I have puffiness and swelling around the eyes and face
I have pains, aches in joints, hands and feet
I have developed carpal-tunnel syndrome, or it's getting worse
I am having irregular menstrual cycles (longer, or heavier, or more
frequent)
I am having trouble conceiving a baby
I feel depressed
I feel restless
My moods change easily
I have feelings of worthlessness
I have difficulty concentrating
I have more feelings of sadness
I seem to be losing interest in normal daily activities
I'm more forgetful lately
I also have the following additional symptoms, which have been reported more
frequently in people with hypothyroidism:
My hair is falling out
I can't seem to remember things
I have no sex drive
I am getting more frequent infections, that last longer
I'm snoring more lately
I have/may have sleep apnea
I feel shortness of breath and tightness in the chest
I feel the need to yawn to get oxygen
My eyes feel gritty and dry
My eyes feel sensitive to light
My eyes get jumpy/tics in eyes, which makes me dizzy/vertigo and have
headaches
I have strange feelings in neck or throat
I have tinnitus (ringing in ears)
I get recurrent sinus infections
I have vertigo
I feel some lightheadedness
I have severe menstrual cramps
My risk factors for hypothyroidism include:
I have a family history of thyroid disease
I have had my thyroid "monitored" in the past to watch for changes
I had a previous diagnosis of goiters/nodules
I currently have a goiter
I was treated for hypothyroidism in the past
I had post-partum thyroiditis in the past
I had a temporary thyroiditis in the past
I have another autoimmune disease
I have had a baby in the past nine months
I have a history of miscarriage
I have had part/all of my thyroid removed due to cancer
I have had part/all of my thyroid removed due to nodules
I have had part/all of my thyroid removed due to Graves'
Disease/hyperthyroidism
I have had radioactive iodine due to Graves' Disease/hyperthyroidism
I have had anti-thyroid drugs due to Graves' Disease/hyperthyroidism
In conjunction with other diagnostic techniques, Daniel G. Amen, MD. (publisher of MindWorks Press) says he "uses the [following] general adult ADD checklist to help further define ADD symptoms. No ADD adult has all of the symptoms, but if you notice a strong presence of more than 20 of these symptoms, there is a strong likelihood of ADD." We gratefully acknowledge Dr. Amen for this valuable
contribution to One ADD Place.
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After printing this page, please read this list of behaviors and rate yourself (or the person who has asked you to rate him or her) on each behavior listed. Use the following scale and place the appropriate number next to the item.
0 = never 1 = rarely 2 = occasionally
3 = frequently 4 = very frequently IMPORTANT: This is not a tool for self-diagnosis. Its purpose is simply to help you determine whether ADD may be a factor in the behavior of the person you are assessing using this checklist. An actual diagnosis can be made only by an experienced professional. If you need a referral to such a professional in your area, contact your local chapter of CH.A.D.D. (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder).
----------------------------------------
Past History
1. ____ History of ADD symptoms in childhood, such as
distractibility, short attention span, impulsivity or
restlessness. ADD doesn't start at age 30.
2. ____ History of not living up to potential in school or
work (report cards with comments such as "not living up to
potential")
3. ____ History of frequent behavior problems in school
(mostly for males)
4. ____ History of bed wetting past age 5
5. ____ Family history of ADD, learning problems, mood
disorders or substance abuse problems
Short Attention Span/Distractibility
6. ____ Short attention span, unless very interested in
something
7. ____ Easily distracted, tendency to drift away (although
at times can be hyper focused)
8. ____ Lacks attention to detail, due to distractibility
9. ____ Trouble listening carefully to directions
10. ____ Frequently misplaces things
11. ____ Skips around while reading, or goes to the end
first, trouble staying on track
12. ____ Difficulty learning new games, because it is hard
to stay on track during directions
13. ____ Easily distracted during sex, causing frequent
breaks or turn-offs during lovemaking
14. ____ Poor listening skills
15. ____ Tendency to be easily bored (tunes out)
Restlessness
16. ____ Restlessness, constant motion, legs moving,
fidgetiness
17. ____ Has to be moving in order to think
18. ____ Trouble sitting still, such as trouble sitting in
one place for too long, sitting at a desk job for long
periods, sitting through a movie
19. ____ An internal sense of anxiety or nervousness
Impulsivity
20. ____ Impulsive, in words and/or actions (spending)
21. ____ Say just what comes to mind without considering its
impact (tactless)
22. ____ Trouble going through established channels, trouble
following proper procedure, an attitude of "read the
directions when all else fails"
23. ____ Impatient, low frustration tolerance
24. ____ A prisoner of the moment
25. ____ Frequent traffic violations
26. ____ Frequent, impulsive job changes
27. ____ Tendency to embarrass others
28. ____ Lying or stealing on impulse
Poor Organization
29. ____ Poor organization and planning, trouble maintaining
an organized work/living area
30. ____ Chronically late or chronically in a hurry
31. ____ Often have piles of stuff
32. ____ Easily overwhelmed by tasks of daily living
33. ____ Poor financial management (late bills, check book a
mess, spending unnecessary money on late fees)
Some adults with ADD are very successful, but often
only if they are surrounded with people who organize them.
Problems Getting Started and Following Through
34. ____ Chronic procrastination or trouble getting started
35. ____ Starting projects but not finishing them, poor
follow through
36. ____ Enthusiastic beginnings but poor endings
37. ____ Spends excessive time at work because of
inefficiencies
38. ____ Inconsistent work performance
Negative Internal Feelings
39. ____ Chronic sense of underachievement, feeling you
should be much further along in your life than you are
40. ____ Chronic problems with self-esteem
41. ____ Sense of impending doom
42. ____ Mood swings
43. ____ Negativity
44. ____ Frequent feeling of demoralization or that things
won't work out for you
Relational Difficulties
45. ____ Trouble sustaining friendships or intimate
relationships, promiscuity
46. ____ Trouble with intimacy
47. ____ Tendency to be immature
48. ____ Self-centered; immature interests
49. ____ Failure to see others' needs or activities as
important
50. ____ Lack of talking in a relationship
51. ____ Verbally abusive to others
52. ____ Proneness to hysterical outburst
53. ____ Avoids group activities
54. ____ Trouble with authority
Short Fuse
55. ____ Quick responses to slights that are real or
imagined
56. ____ Rage outbursts, short fuse
Frequent Search For High Stimulation
57. ____ Frequent search for high stimulation (bungee
jumping, gambling, race track, high stress jobs, ER doctors,
doing many things at once, etc.)
58. ____ Tendency to seek conflict, be argumentative or to
start disagreements for the fun of it
59. ____ Tendency To Get Stuck (thoughts or behaviors)
60. ____ Tendency to worry needlessly and endlessly
61. ____ Tendency toward addictions (food, alcohol, drugs,
work)
Switches Things Around
62. ____ Switches around numbers, letters or words
Turn words around in conversations
Writing/Fine Motor Coordination Difficulties
63. ____ Poor writing skills (hard to get information from
brain to pen)
64. ____ Poor handwriting, often prints
65. ____ Coordination difficulties
The Harder I Try The Worse It Gets
66. ____ Performance becomes worse under pressure.
67. ____ Test anxiety, or during tests your mind tends to
go blank
68. ____ The harder you try, the worse it gets
69. ____ Work or schoolwork deteriorates under pressure
70. ____ Tendency to turn off or become stuck when asked
questions in social situations
71. ____ Falls asleep or becomes tired while reading Sleep/Wake Difficulties
72. ____ Difficulties falling asleep, may be due to too
many thoughts at night
73. ____ Difficulty coming awake (may need coffee or other
stimulant or activity before feeling fully awake)
Low Energy
74. ____ Periods of low energy, especially early in the
morning and in the afternoon
75. ____ Frequently feeling tired
Sensitive To Noise Or Touch
76. ____ Startles easily
77. ____ Sensitive to touch, clothes, noise and light
------------------------------------------
When you have completed the above checklist, calculate the
following:
Total Score: _______
Total Number of Items with a score of three (3) or more:
_______
Score for Item #1: _______
Score for Item #6: _______
Score for Item #7: _______
Dr. Amen suggests: "More than 20 items with a score of three or more indicates a strong tendency toward ADD. Items 1, 6, and 7 are essential to make the diagnosis." He further adds: "One of the most common ways I diagnose ADD in adults is when parents reluctantly tell me that they have tried their child's medication and that they found it very helpful. They report it helped them concentrate for longer periods of time. They became more organized and were less
impulsive. Trying your child's medication is not something I recommend!"
Answer:
I'm really surprised to learn there are psychiatrists out there that don't make
you have complete physicals. Every psychiatrist I went to asked me to have
one. The very first one I saw made me have one and they always check for
hypothyroidism. My psychiatrist told me they would look for that.
I don't have a problem with mine. I have 73 of these with 3 or more. That being the case, I'd say the psychiatrist must have made a good one! This was really rather an interesting test. I'm curious how others did. I didn't score quite as high as you did, Tuesday, but I still "passed." I'm a certifiable ADD-er! Where's my diploma? I took the test because everybody keeps saying ADD is hereditary and my son clearly has it. I scored 32, so we have to bark up somebody else's family tree... like my husband's...but he only scored 71. All kidding aside, I'm betting 71 and even 32 is higher than the average population. In our case it looks like our son got the worst of both of us in his genetic mix, as far as ADD stuff is concerned. I would be curious to know what is an "average" score for non-ADD people. ADD is _usually_ hereditary, but not always. I don't think either of my parents or any of my grandparents had ADD, but I feel certain that I do. I think Amens checklist is great. But...Self diagnosis should lead you to a professional to get formal diagnosis. ADHD has many mimmickers. And not all ADHD symptoms are caused by ADHD. It is also frequently misdiagnosed (under and over). I too "knew" I had ADHD, but went on to confirm this with a P-Doc. Lets encourage those who believe they may have ADHD to find out IFFFFF they have ADHD. Self diagnosis will only confuse the issue for those of us who have been diagnosed by a professional, by allowing people to proclaim they have ADHD, either because it would be better than some "other" mental illness (not true; or for their convenience with respect to ADA; or as an excuse. Besides, with such high co morbidity, ADHD may be the LEAST of someone’s problems. There are enough people out there who wish to deny it that we can't afford those who wish they had. or hadn't ADHD to cloud the already very cloudy waters. After you've scored the test and SUSPECT ADHD, get a formal diagnosis from a professional who specializes in ADHD. My doctors have always checked for hypothyroidism when I came to them about depression. But it would be good to mention if your doctor doesn't. Aargh. My pdocs didn't test me either, so I suffered for a year and a half before my gynecologist suddenly decided to test for thyroid. I can't believe pdocs don't all automatically test for it. I had all the typical signs and symptoms. I guess it's outside of their specialty, so they pay no attention to it. My mom wants me to sue both pdocs (who failed to test me) for all of the emotional distress and both hospitalizations. Would be nice if I could sue for all that, wouldn't it?
