METABOLIC DISEASES
Several well-known metabolic diseases can lead to emotional disturbances:
HYPERTHYROIDISM
An overactive thyroid, known as hyperthyroidism, is usually caused by the pituitary gland's overproduction of a hormone called TSH, or thyroid-stimulating hormone. This causes the thyroid, a butterfly-shaped gland in the lower part of the neck, to produce an excess of the thyroid hormone thyroxine. Hyperthyroidism is eight times more common in women than in men.
The emotional symptoms of hyperthyroidism include a more intense and chronic nervousness than in hypothyroidism (discussed below), overreactions to minor crises, moodiness, frequent fear without knowing why, a sense of agitation, dread, and occasionally trembling or shaking. Some patients with serious hyperthyroidism may have symptoms resembling those of schizophrenia, in which there is little or no contact with reality.
Physical symptoms include rapid loss of weight, unusual appetite, rapid pulse, diarrhea, and muscle weakness (especially in the legs, as when climbing stairs). The classical symptoms of hyperthyroidism are staring eyes and enlargement of the neck, but these need not be present.
It is interesting to note that certain factors in upbringing and personality seem to predispose people to hyperthyroidism (this would mean that a feedback loop of the second type may precipitate the disease in some people). Individuals who later develop hyperthyroidism often have these characteristics:
* They were forced prematurely to become self-sufficient and responsible.
* They felt rejected by one or both parents and feared a loss of emotional support.