Suzy,
Thyroid problems can cause a lot of trouble, sadly some docs are eager to just write prescriptions for AD's and dismiss patients symptoms as "depression", when it may not be depression, but hypothyroidsim causing depression and a whole bunch of other things, I fell victim of that, and I kept telling the docs I needed thyroid medication but they insisted by only looking at the numbers on the blood test results. Finally one listened, sent me for ultrasounds and sure enough I have thyroid nodules and DXed with Hashimoto's disease. Soooooooo, years wasted, and suffering, due to docs using that ever growing cop out, "you feel like this (I was nearly functioning) cause you are clinicaly depressed". Grrrrrrrrrr!
Hypothyroidism can cause depression, while hyperthyroidism, can cause hypomanic/manic behaviour.
I have learned now to assert myself, even push for testing of the physical, be sure to rule out anything physically related, and then go onto the mind.
Interesting, my pdoc noticed postive changes in me once I was put on Synthroid, he even agreed that most of my symptoms that had resembled "depression" most likely were related to thyroid imbalance.
In many cases, pdoc's will use thryoid med (Cytomel mostly) combined with other meds, including mood stabilizers with people suffering with deep depression,etc.
It amazes me how common thyroid disease is, especially in woman, and as we age, it is so easy to treat, but I can't believe why docs are more eager to hand out psychotropic meds first. Grrrrrrrrrrr!
Okay, I'm rambling, and I apologize for that, my main wish for all is that people keep the faith and don't give up, there are good docs and good meds that can really be of great help to us. Unfortunately sometimes we happen to fall in the hands of the not so good ones.
Take good care,
DE