OCD and Hormones: Understanding Their Connection

You’ll then learn to resist the urge to engage in your typical compulsive behaviors—such as reassurance-seeking or rumination—that would usually alleviate your discomfort. Instead, you practice tolerating your discomfort and anxiety, habituating to these feelings over time so that they make less of an impact in your life. For people suffering from PMDD, these thoughts can be particularly intense and distressing during the premenstrual phase. They might experience recurring thoughts of self-doubt, guilt, or fear, leading to heightened anxiety and emotional turmoil.

Neurotransmitter Dysfunction

There are also cases of OCD in papillary thyroid cancer, which is thought to be driven by immunological factors. The role of autoantibodies against thyroid tissue is important in the etiology of both diseases. However, these autoantibodies can also cause a reaction against brain tissue.

Advanced Strategies for Anxiety Reduction

Eventually, after some trial and error, I realized that nuts were making me nuts! I am not 100 percent sure what it is about nuts that causes this reaction, but I have seen this reaction in numerous clients, especially with almonds. Others, who are fast metabolizers and are able to clear caffeine more quickly from their bodies, may be able to tolerate more daily caffeine without it impacting their anxiety levels. I recommend starting the day off right by having a breakfast that is filled with good fats (for example, avocado or coconut milk), as well as a good source of protein, while limiting your intake of sugars (even from fruit). On a grand scale, anxiety, just like most other symptoms we experience, is a sign that something is out of balance within our bodies or our lives.

While I have found them to be helpful for clients, in general, I advise working with a health professional who has experience with them, as 5-HTP can worsen symptoms in some, and GABA can over-convert to glutamate if you’re deficient in P5P. The linked article will provide many core recommendations, but resolving Strep infections in the gut is one important protocol I want to focus on here, given its strong link to OCD. These diet principles that are supportive of Hashimoto’s will also support the brain because they include the crucial nutrients listed above. As you can see in the graphic below, the breakdown of glutamate and its synthesis into GABA is dependent on vitamin B6, so deficiencies in this nutrient may result in excess levels of glutamate. 40 It’s also needed for the synthesis of other neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin. In identifying these connections, we are learning where lifestyle interventions such as addressing glucose control and insulin sensitivity issues may help ease OCD symptoms.

• Both conditions involve alterations in neurotransmitter systems, particularly serotonin and norepinephrine.
• NIMH offers expert-reviewed information on mental disorders and a range of topics.
• Regarding thyroid antibodies, middle-aged females are known to show higher positivity 24.

Full text links

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis was diagnosed in 85 (58.6%) patients and Graves’ disease was diagnosed in 60 (41.4%) patients. 114 (78.6%) patients were followed up with medication (levothyroxine or propylthiouracil), and 26 (17.9%) people were followed without any medication. FT4 values were normal in 115 (79,3%), low in 8 (5.5%), and high in 20 (13.8%) of patients. FT3 values normal in 121 (83.4%), low in 8 (5.5%), and high in 11 (7.4%) of patients.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), a condition that affects millions worldwide, has long been viewed primarily through the lens of neurotransmitter imbalances and cognitive-behavioral patterns. However, emerging research suggests that hormones, the body’s chemical messengers, may play a significant role in the development, exacerbation, and potentially even the treatment of OCD symptoms. Depression appears to respond more so to medications that contain biologically active triiodothyronine or T3.

Common examples are people who worry about cleanliness or disease and wash their hands until the point of rawness. People suffering from this level of OCD may be fully aware that the behavior they are performing is abnormal and irrational, but they are unable to stop. On the other end of the obsessive-compulsive continuum, you have the more serious, life-affecting condition of OCD that meets psychiatric diagnosis criteria. If your anxiety results from events that occurred in your past, utilizing therapy may be the path to reducing or eliminating your anxiety. If you have a resistant case of anxiety, or if you are going through a particularly anxious period, it may be time for you to consider some more advanced strategies. As a side note, if you have obsessive-compulsive symptoms, you may want to test your gut for an overgrowth of Streptococcus.

Thyroid hormones play a crucial role synthroid israel in the synthesis, metabolism, and activity of these neurotransmitters, which are also implicated in the pathophysiology of OCD. Some studies estimate that 40% of those with OCD also have an autoimmune disorder, with thyroid-related disorders being the most common. This results in thyroid cell damage, leading to a reduction in thyroid hormone production and chronic inflammation.

While the reasons behind the disproportionate rate of Hashimoto’s in women (seven women for every one man) are complex, the heavy use of endocrine-disrupting chemicals may be a contributing factor. We are exposed to so many toxins every day – both inside and outside our homes (some are obvious, some less so). But the fear was much more difficult to manage when Zac was around, going about daily life in their shared space.

I usually spend time with each of my clients who struggle with anxiety, working on specific exercises and methods to help them get centered and in control when anxiety strikes. If you’re currently drinking coffee, soda, green tea, or black tea, removing or reducing your intake of caffeine can be helpful. 6 I know that personally, I have a limit to how much caffeine I can have in a day until I become anxious.