Hypothyroidism And ADD | How Its Symptoms Are The Same And How It Differs

Hypothyroidism and ADD or Attention Deficit Disorder are two distinct conditions of the body. ADD is a behavioral disorder which primarily transpires during childhood and includes symptoms like poor focus, hyperactivity or impulsiveness. Yet, what if there is an underlying condition that wasn’t taken into consideration? What if there’s a link between Hypothyroidism and ADD? Here we probe the similarities linking the two conditions and what sets them apart.

Hypothyroidism And ADD | Similarities and Differences

1. Brain fog

Brain fog, which others call ‘brain fatigue’, can be a slight to serious episode of mental disorder. The patient usually feels a lack of focus, reduced mental sharpness, and may have poor memory function too. In addition, with ADD, brain fog comes with the disorder while for those with thyroid problems, it comes from hormonal issues.

2. Short and long-term memory issues

Yup. Because I had a stroke, talked like a child and now have short and long term memory loss. Along with other shitty side effects. ☹️ https://t.co/M4yuZLUgCl

— nyckoldelasol (@womanofmalice) July 14, 2017

There are medical conditions, injuries and other health issues that can cause short and long-term memory. A brain aneurysm, which is is bulging spots on the arteries of the brain, may cause both short and long-term memory loss.

3. Inability to concentrate

Inability to concentrate is a disorder dealing with the difficulty of staying focused on certain tasks especially if it becomes daily and routinary. Irrelevant sights and sounds can also be an easy distraction for the patient.

4. Memory issues

The common symptoms of memory issues include constantly misplacing things, poor organizational skills, frequently forgetting commitments or appointments and also has the tendency to procrastinate. Although this can sometimes be due to the disorganization on the part of the patient.

5. “Zoning out”

As a matter of fact, zoning out is the inability to pay attention such as listening or watching. This usually happens when a patient is daydreaming or imagining things in the middle of a conversation without even realizing it.

RELATED: 10 Symptoms of Hypothyroidism

6. Difficulty Remembering Conversations/T

asks

Patients struggle to complete tasks, even the simple ones. Due to this, they have a tendency to overlook details making them prone to mistakes or even leaving a task incomplete. They may also have poor listening skills like having a hard time remembering conversations or even following the simplest directions.

7. Impulsivity

Symptoms of this disorder include interrupting others or talk over them, blurting out thoughts that may be inappropriate, and also, trouble behaving in a socially appropriate manner. The patient may act before thinking or may react without considering the consequences.

8. Some other disease

There may be some patients who were initially diagnosed with ADD or ADHD bearing the known symptoms. For example, in 2007, from the article Misdiagnosing ADHD, a patient was misdiagnosed of having ADHD.  Moreover, tests showed that the patient had resistance to thyroid hormone which can cause ADD symptoms. Eventually, they found out that the patient had Grave’s disease, a disorder which causes hyperthyroidism.

9. Hyperactivity and thyroid hormone correlation

In a 1997 research from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, they’ve discovered a connection between high levels of thyroid hormones and hyperactivity in a certain group of patients. They found out that abnormal concentrations of T3 and T4 were considerably linked with hyperactivity/impulsivity indicators but not with symptoms of attention deficiency.

Want to know more about the similarities between hypothyroidism and ADD and similar disorders? Watch this video from David Atiyeh:

Proper diagnosis is important since ADD can be a misdiagnosis for hypothyroidism due to the uncanny similarities between their symptoms. Thyroid dysfunction can cause symptoms that overlap ADD symptoms of inattentiveness and forgetfulness. Once you’ve ruled out thyroid dysfunction or other illnesses related to the disorder, it is only then you should consult the help of a psychiatrist or a psychologist.

Do you think hypothyroid and ADD symptoms can be distinctly diagnosed? Please let us know your thoughts by leaving us your comments below.

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