And while his diagnosis of Graves' disease had little bearing on his defense, John Schmitz, humiliated on the Jenny Jones several few years ago, clearly had trouble suppressing his own rage when he murdered the friend who betrayed him. In discussing violence with other Graves' friends, the topic of school violence often comes up. Many of us wonder if the lanky perpetrators of some of these crimes ever had the opportunity to be tested for thyroid function. The medical literature states that patients with Graves' disease are likely to experience emotional problems, including nervousness, irritability, anxiety, depression, and emotional lability, characterized by mood swings. Sudden crying for no apparent reason and overreacting are also common.
Many patients report feeling edgy and irritable one minute, and normal the next.
The literature also states that before hyperthyroidism was recognized as a disease, many patients with Graves' disease spent their days in asylums. Emotional changes in Graves' disease are primarily caused by the effects of excess thyroid hormone on thyroid receptors in the brain. Emotional disturbances may also result from nutrient deficiencies and exhaustion. Cognitive changes in GD caused by hormonal imbalances also weaken the ability to cope with stress. Compounding the problem, stress causes endocrine and immune system changes, which exacerbate symptoms in autoimmune thyroid disease.