Psychiatry & Endocrinology (return to psychoneuro.com)
We are witnessing an explosion of interest in endocrinology in psychiatric illness. This interest is two-fold. Psychiatric illness
is profoundly influenced by the endocrine milieu. This includes normal and cyclical changes in hormone levels as well as
abnormal hormone levels such as occurring under conditions of profound stress. Secondly, classic endocrine disorders are
a cause of psychiatric illness. Perhaps more interestingly, subtle endocrine alterations can lead to subtle to profound
psychiatric symptoms. How may we influence neuroendocrine states to alter the outcome of psychiatric illness.? My initial
study of endocrinology and the emerging field of hormone receptors kindled my interest in psychiatry in the 1970s. While
on the faculty at the University of Iowa , I discovered that many patients were poorly served by psychiatry because they
presented with subtle endocrine abnormalities and psychiatric illness that was poorly understood and therefore poorly
treated by specialists in endocrinology and psychiatry. This led me to pursue a career in psychiatry and endocrinology and
ultimately psychoneuroendocrinology.
This field now includes an international society, The International Society of Psychoneuroendocrinology and a monthly
journal, Psychoneuroendocrinology. What can be learned from seeing a psychoneuroendocrinologist? Why should you see
this specialist? What is Psychoneuroendocrinology? Psychoneuroendocrinology is the clinical study of hormone fluctuations
and their relationship to psychiatric illness. It is subtle blend of endocrinology and psychiatry. The brain is increasingly
viewed as an organ secreting hormones. This observation cements the relationship between hormones and behavior.