I feel compelled to make this post due to all I've learned in regards to hyperthyroidism/hypothyroidism, anxiety, panic and depression.

My daughter was dx'ed with Grave's Disease after she found out she was pregnant and extremely hyperthyroid due to the hormones of pregnancy. This is something she'd probably had and the doctor's just weren't getting it...not even the opthamologists and her Grave's Opthalmopathy.

I would urge *anyone* dealing with ongoing, whether intermittent or not, anxiety/panic and depression, to get a very simple blood test to check their thyroid functions.

I'll give you some history...

My daughter was dx'ed with PMDD due to extreme PMS prior to periods. The period hormones could and would make her a little hyperthyroid. It wasn't PMDD. It was her thyroid.

My daughter had weight issues with a ravenous hunger and anxiety at the same time. It wasn't an eating disorder or anxiety/depression. It was the effects of hyperthyroidism and her Grave's Disease.

Her internal "shaking" and hands shaking weren't emotions, anger or anxiety. It was hyperthyroidism.

Her sore muscles, shortness of breath, etc. weren't due to anxiety or muscle tension. It was due to hyperthyroidism and the tachycardia it can cause.

Her rapid heart rate wasn't due to emotion or anxiety. It was due to tachycardia caused by hyperthyroidism.

Her inability to sleep at times, then sleep too much? It was her going in and out of hyperthyroidism.

My daughter had issues with eye muscles, double vision, etc. The dr's didn't get that either. It was the Grave's Disease. The double vision wasn't panic or anxiety. It was hyperthyroidism.

Her mood swings and her going from anxiety/panic to depression, all while displaying all the symptoms wasn't just anxiety/panic, depression, mania or bipolar. Her "rages" weren't just that of a "mad teen". It was her thyroid.

Her early development and period problems weren't just a fluke or heredity. It was her Grave's Disease and the effects of her hormones on her thyroid and visa versa.

This disease, and almost any disorder with the thyroid, can affect one so much mentally/emotionally and it's just not talked about enough, or doctors aren't educated enough in the matter.

PLEASE GET A SIMPLE BLOOD TEST for thyroid function if you have anxiety, panic, depression, bipolar diagnosed. Chances are that it's not there, but her treatment has made all the difference with her mental/emotional state. Some are even in hospitalized many times for psych care.

Love and respect,

KD