Thyroid Disease and the Stigma Surrounding It: Weight Has Nothing to Do With It

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Table of Contents

Introduction
What Causes Thyroid Disease: Autoimmune Issues
Weight and Thyroid Disease
Stigmatizing Thyroid Disease Patients
Tools for Addressing the Problem
Possible Hindrances
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Instances of hyper- and hypothyroidism, as well as other health issues associated with the functioning of the thyroid gland, are common health concerns. Since thyroid hormones themselves play vital role in the regulation of growth processes and energy metabolism, they have a drastic effect on a patient’s well-being when over- or underproduced (Azizi, Mehran, Hosseinpanah, Delshad, & Amouzegar, 2017). Therefore, thyroid disease (TD) has drastic effects on an individual unless managed appropriately. Although TD is traditionally associated with weight gain, the specified factors not the only one and by far not the most important one in enhancing the development of TD. Nevertheless, patients with TD often have to deal with the stigma associated with weight and particularly, the label of laziness that people with superficial knowledge of TD often give them.

What Causes Thyroid Disease: Autoimmune Issues

Contrary to a popular belief, weight has a comparatively small effect on the development of TD. What launches the process of TD emergence and progression is Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, a condition that leads to the thyroid gland inflammation. The resistance to the thyroid hormone, which is another hereditary disorder, can become the factor for acquiring the identified condition. The resistance to the hormone implies that a patient cannot receive the required amount of thyroid and thus, cannot acquire the necessary hormones for encouraging crucial processes such as growth (Yu & Tan, 2017). The presence of weight issues, in turn, has no tangible effect on the progression of TD (Feldt-Rasmussen et al., 2017). Since weight does not affect the production of the thyroid hormone, obesity and any other weight concerns do not affect the progression of TD in the slightest (Azizi et al., 2017). Thus, the assumptions associated with the cause-and-effect relationships between TD and obesity are false. Particularly, claiming that being overweight leads to the acquisition of TD is erroneous.

In addition, problems in the functioning of the pituitary gland and hypothalamus can be seen as the essential factors behind the development of TD. The observed phenomenon can be explained by the control that the pituitary gland and hypothalamus have over the thyroid gland (Yu & Tan, 2017).The disruption in the metabolic process that causes patients to gain weight, in turn, is the direct effect of TD and not the cause thereof. Although the two are of them conflated, assuming that weight gain contributes to the development of TD would be a mistake. Therefore, genetic predisposition toward the development of TD can be seen as the primary factor leading to Td issues, whereas obesity and other weight concerns have no tangible effect on the subject matter, contrary to the popular opinion. Thus, the active promotion of change in the contemporary perception of TD among general audiences is required.

Weight and Thyroid Disease

Although the presence of weight issues does not cause TD, the latter can lead to a significant rise in a patient’s weight. The rapid weight gain occurs due to the malfunctioning of the thyroid gland and the underproduction of the thyroid hormone (Feldt-Rasmussen et al., 2017). The specified factor contributes to a rise in the anabolic action within one’s body, which causes uncontrollable appetite and the following increase in a patient’s weight (Sami, Iftekhar, Rauf, & Sher, 2018). Furthermore, studies how that even after the application of a diet and the promotion of specific eating patterns and habits, patients revert to the ones that TD dictates them to follow: “The hyperthyrotropinemia of obese patients was found to revert after weight loss induced either by bariatric surgery or by hypocaloric diet” (Sanyal & Raychaudhuri1, 2016, p. 555). Therefore, weight issues are not the reason for TD to develop; furthermore, a patient cannot control weight gain using solely their willpower after the development of TD.

Although the myth surrounding TD implies that patients can control their daily intake of food, the situation is the exact opposite of the statements made by general audiences (Azizi et al., 2017). Nevertheless, the lack of awareness regarding the subject matter and the unwillingness to educate oneself about the problem of TD cause the stigma of TD to emerge. As a result, patients with TD feel ostracized and socially marginalized (Azizi et al., 2017). Therefore, changes must be made to the current representation of patients with TD.

There is also evidence that a range of TD patients that suffer from weight issues engage in self-deprecating behaviors due to the amount of criticism that is imposed on them by community members. For instance, Farhangi, Emam-Alizadeh, Hamedi, and Jahangiry (2017) explain that weight-related prejudices cause mental health issues ranging from stress to depression and other severe health concerns. The assumption that weight issues cause the progression of TD and can be controlled after the disorder is set in motion shape TD patients’ willingness to fight the disease. People with TD may be heavily demotivated by the avalanche of criticism that is thrown at them by community members who are unaware of TD patients’ struggles. Consequently, stress and depression may follow, affecting the TD population’s chances to recover.

Stigmatizing Thyroid Disease Patients

Despite the evident confusion between the cause and the symptoms of TD that general audiences display by shunning TD patients with weight issues, very little has been done to address the problem. Few studies mention the necessity to build awareness within the communities where patients with TD live (Yu & Tan, 2017). At the same time, there is evidence of prejudices taking their toll over the quality of TD patients’ lives (Azizi et al., 2017). The current misconception about the role that weight gain play sin the development of TD portrays TD as a self-inflicted health concern (Janssen et al., 2015). As shown above, the identified assumption could not be further away from the truth since weight problems are not listed among the factors that lead to the TD development – thyroid gland malfunction does (Azizi et al., 2017). However, the weight gain observed after the enhancement of TD in numerous patients is perceived as not only controllable by patients, which is entirely false, but also as the assertion of the connection between TD and excessive weight (Azizi et al., 2017).

Although the specified conclusion is a fallacy in locating cause-and-effect relationships and the sign of a complete misunderstanding of TD and its management, the myth persists in the modern society. Consequently, TD patients are seen as lazy and unmotivated, which causes the community to treat them with scorn, pity, and disdain. Contrary to the popular assumption, the presence of a social stigma does not cause a positive shift in patients’ behaviors and the adoption of healthier lifestyle choices. Instead, it leads to the aggravation of patients’ conditions and the deterioration of their health. The propensity toward acquiring additional health problems, particularly, mental health issues, must be seen as the reason for a serious concern. TD patients require the support and assistance of community members to handle the challenges associated with managing their disorder. However, the presence of prejudices and harmful myths about the connection between obesity and TD makes the process of treatment and recovery very difficult for all parties involved. Therefore, the subject matter needs to be handled with the help of a program that could shed light on the issue of TD and possible weight issues that patients may have, as well as the fact that obesity does not cause TD to happen.

Tools for Addressing the Problem

Since the current myth concerning the cause-and-effect relationships between weight and TD is largely supported and has a tremendous negative effect on TD patients, a program for raising awareness and promoting a supportive attitude toward patients with TD is required. Nurses will need to reach out to communities with the help of modern media, especially social networks, and offer detailed information about TD patients and their struggles. At the same time, nurses will have to fight harmful myths about TD actively. The process of building the support system for TD patients may start with reinforcing communication between the vulnerable population and their friends and families. As soon as the bulk of the support system is created, further actions for extending it across the local and, later on, global communities must be taken.

Simultaneously, a program must adderss the needs of patients with TD. Specifically, it will be crucial to create the environment that will provide TD patients with extensive support. Family members and friends should be seen as the bulk of the support system for TD patients. Moreover, community members must also be invited to participate in debunking TD-associated myths and providing TD patients with support and care. For this purpose, the adoption of modern media an especially social networks must be seen as a necessity. Given the wide range of audiences that social media allows embracing, the process of building awareness will occur at an increasingly high speed. Consequently, one may expect that the myths associated with TD and obesity will be subverted, and patients with TD will be relieved of the burden of the stigma that they had been carrying for so long.

Furthermore, people that have the propensity toward developing TD need to be educated about the methods of identifying the presence of a TD threat and locating available healthcare resources to receive proper assistance. In addition, information concerning the prevention of the issue has to be disseminated among target populations fast and efficiently. For instance, information about proper dieting and the inclusion of lean proteins and fats that are healthy for one’s heart has to be provided to the global community (Feldt-Rasmussen et al., 2017). As a result, opportunities for reducing the possibility of TD development will be created.

In addition, patients must also be taught to apply strategies for delaying the progression of TD, as well as access healthcare services for receiving adequate assistance serving the same purpose. To be more accurate, primordial approaches will be used to help patients avoid TD, primary prevention tools will allow controlling risk factors, tertiary prevention frameworks will improve the quality of care, and a quaternary prevention will minimize the risk of over- medicalization of TD patients (Azizi et al., 2017). The described approach is bound to help reduce the impact of TD at any stage of its development and provide at-risk populations with a chance of avoiding TD successfully.

Possible Hindrances

When addressing the lack of understanding of how TD and weight issues are connected, and especially trying to subvert some of the most harmful stereotypes, one is likely to face massive resistance from the people that are unwilling to abandon their assumptions. Although convincing people to change their minds and accept the needs of TD patients is possible, there is the probability that some swill refuse to see TD patients as victims. One might argue that proving the persistent stereotypes wrong by providing clear evidence is comparatively easy. However, it is also important to keep in mind that the issues associated with weight evoke a range of emotions in most people due to the social pressure (Janssen et al., 2015).

Indeed, modern media foists rather rigid standards of beauty on people, thus, compelling them to believe that anything deviating from the proposed norm should be shunned. Weight is one of those standards, which leads to overweight people and people with obesity to be scorned and even ostracized by their community (Feldt-Rasmussen et al., 2017). Given the irrational element of the specified assumptions and the fear that ensues, community members may fail to accept the logic of the TD progression, particularly, the fact that weight gain is not the cause but the symptom thereof. Moreover, there is a possibility that some people will refuse to believe that TD patients have no control over the subsequent weight gain. Addressing the identified issues is likely to be fraught with a number of challenges, such as the necessity to appeal to both emotional and rational aspects of the identified attitude.

Conclusion

Since weight is not the factor contributing to TD, and neither is gaining weight under the control of patients with TD, the subject matter remains at the core of the prejudices and social stigma that TD patients face. However, further studies of the problem reveal that weight does not affect the development of TD. Furthermore, research clarifies that patients with TD cannot control their weight with traditional dieting tools and physical exercises. Thus, a twofold program addressing the need for support among TD patients and the lack of awareness among the general public regarding TD and weight is required. The program will lead to a steep increase in the levels of awareness among the target demographic.

Furthermore, it is crucial to focus on the emotional aspect of the observed trend. The fact that people are so willing to see the cause-and-effect connection between weight issues and TD might stem from the increase in the amount of focus on weight-related problems. While the emphasis on a healthy lifestyle as an important aspect of maintaining health is an admittedly positive shift in people’s perception of health, the tendency to stigmatize overweight people is not. Therefore, the issue needs to be explored on a societal level as well by determining problems in the current perception of a human body. By carrying out a massive campaign that will appeal to both people’s emotions and their ability to reason, one is likely to attain significant success in reducing the effects of the stigma that is associated with TD. As a result, the instances of discrimination toward overweight and obese people with TD will be prevented and handled respectively.

References

Azizi, F., Mehran, L., Hosseinpanah, F., Delshad, H., & Amouzegar, A. (2017). Primordial and Primary Preventions of Thyroid Disease. International journal of endocrinology and metabolism, 15(4), 1-11. Web.

Farhangi, M. A., Emam-Alizadeh, M., Hamedi, F., & Jahangiry, L. (2017). Weight self-stigma and its association with quality of life and psychological distress among overweight and obese women. Eating and Weight Disorders-Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity, 22(3), 451-456. Web.

Janssen, I. M., Homan, J., Schijns, W., Betzel, B., Aarts, E. O., Berends, F. J., & de Boer, H. (2015). Subclinical hypothyroidism and its relation to obesity in patients before and after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases, 11(6), 1257-1263. Web.

Sami, A., Iftekhar, M. F., Rauf, M. A., & Sher, A. (2018). Subclinical hypothyroidism among local adult obese population.Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, 34(4), 980-983. Web.

Sanyal, D., & Raychaudhuri, M. (2016). Hypothyroidism and obesity: An intriguing link. Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism, 20(4), 554-557. Web.

Yu, R. M., & Tan, G. (2017). Prevalence of diabetes mellitus among adult Filipino patients with thyroid disease in an outpatient clinic in Cebu City from 2004-2015. Endocrine Practice, 23, 73.

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