PREVALENCE OF PSYCHIATRIC-DISORDERS IN THYROID DISEASED PATIENTS

Several studies have underlined the high prevalence of psychiatric sym ptoms and disorders in thyroid diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in 93 inpatients affe cted by different thyroid diseases during their lifetimes, by means of a standardized instrument, i.e., the Structured Clinical Interview fo r Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-III-Revised, U pjohn Version (SCID-UP-R). The results showed higher rates of panic di sorder, simple phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder and cyclothymia in thyroid patients than i n the general population. These findings would suggest that the co-occ urrence of psychiatric and thyroid diseases may be the result of commo n biochemical abnormalities.