New Research: Link Between Type D Personality and Hypothyroidism Discovered. Thoughts??

[FAB-jellybean]

Interesting new study. Full access to the original research can be found below the news article. neurosciencenews.com/type-d...

Not really sure the purpose of this other than clutching at straws and keeping the prized TSH measurement in focus rather than looking at all the hormone levels within us folks who are unwell on levothyroxine alone and trying to find a way to measure tissue uptake of those hormones.

Personally I have a Type A personality and was diagnosed with fibromyalgia (a somatic system disorder SSD) before discovering my T3 levels were below range despite high in range T4. I was socially withdrawn for many years due to the inability to function. Only additional T3 has helped reverse that although the damage was already done.

For me, the results of this study only appears to show correlation and not causation. And not sure how any further study can realistically help us but I'm happy to be enlightened.

[nightingale-56]

I think they are clutching at straws here and it is the other way about - that we have these symptoms once we are diagnosed and 'treated'. Undertreatment and poor medication causes these symptoms. While I don't think I am a Type A person, I am definitely not a Type D person.

[Sparklingsunshine]

I'm the same always bern type A, very energetic, driven, perfectionist. I had a brief period of post natal depression after having my second son but had a lot of trauma with other pregnancies and a stillbirth so I think I can be forgiven on that one. I also have Fibro.

Apart from that I've never had depression or anxiety. I'd be interested in whether all these D types became depressed, anxious and withdrawn socially after they were hypo or before?

Depression and anxiety are universally found in almost every person at some point or other who is dealing with a chronic health condition. I know many people who are dealing with RA, MS, diabetes, heart condtions etc. Its certainly not confined to hypo patients.

All of them have expressed 'negative' emotions at some point or other. Fatigue pain, medication side effects, disability, mobility issues, social isolation, not being able to work or have a social life, financial worries have a tendency to make people feel fed up and depressed.

Gaslighting, uncaring medical staff or not being able to access speedy healthcare when needed have a knock on effect of making people anxious. Maybe if thyroid was better understood and more effectively treated, if we werent at the mercy of stupid doctors who know sweet FA about it and we could access alternatives like NDT or T3, if Levo doesnt suit, if we could get comprehensive blood tests on NHS instead of an annual TSH, who knows, we might actually feel human again and not be so 'negative'.

What an absolute crock! Patient blaming again. I dont know of any other condition where so many sufferers have to pay for their own meds, blood tests or private medical care. Its not a situation to feel positive about.

[asidist in reply to Sparklingsunshine]

Well said.

[tattybogle]

"Further research is needed to confirm our findings and determine if it is possible to predict how newly diagnosed patients with hypothyroidism will respond to treatment based on personality traits. If so, studies could be designed specifically for such patients, to determine if interventions can improve outcomes,” Perros said."

Which (when translated from 'Weetman/ Pearce Psychobabble' into 'Plain English' ) really says :

"We want to include a mental health & personality type questionaire in our diagnostic guidelines for 'when to consider offering Levo for subclinical hypothyroidism'...... So we'll organise a few studies confirming that pessimistic/ worried/ stressed types (moaners) who have a very mild thyroid problem are very likely to continue whinging even with levo treatment .......then we can say there is no benefit putting those people on Levo unless their fT4 goes below range and /or TSH goes over 10 ..... thus reducing the huge number of sub-clinical people we are currently obliged to give levo and free prescriptions to.

( ..... sub clinical hypo diagnosis are going through the roof because some nuisances on the internet keep explaining our current guidelines to them and letting them know we should consider treating it if they are symptomatic ~ and this really annoys us because many of us endocrinologists think that a lot of em are making a fuss about nowt, are not remotely hypothyroid, and will continue to moan about something regardless of what we do...... )

And then ( ... gleeful smile .... ) we can legitimately offer most of them a course of CBT to treat their negative attitudes to life .... instead of some levo to treat their subclinical hypo .... saying it's based on 'good evidence that levo will offer them no benefit' .... which will make us look good by reducing sub-clinical treatment costs, and have the added benefit of filtering out those who are likely to be a blummin nuisance by still moaning when we know there's nothing physically wrong with em"

[1tuppence]

Have they considered it could possibly be that their Type D respondents were the most likely to answer their on-line questionnaire?

[FAB-jellybean in reply to 1tuppence]

Probably not!! Occam's razor comes to mind.

[Topsy33]

The usual, patient blaming, sexist claptrap from Weetman et al. Looks like a rear guard defensive action to me.