Temporary abnormalities of thyroid function during acute psychiatric illness

Question from a Member:

I have seen patients come to the hospital in a manic state who have elevated TSH that appears to go back to normal levels when their mood state stabilizes. Is this a known phenomenon?

This is a clinically important topic because temporary abnormalities in thyroid function tests due to psychiatric illness can lead to unnecessary testing to find out what is causing them.

Please make sure to also see the related but separate topic of non-thyroidal illness syndrome (also called euthyroid sick syndrome) in the following article on this website:

Don’t be misled by “non-thyroidal illness syndrome”