Thyroid function tests are useful adjuncts in the evaluation of psychiatric symptoms, but they cannot be properly interpreted without a basic understanding of test methodology and thyroid physiology. In clinical practice, psychiatrists may wish to obtain thyroid function tests to exclude thyroid dysfunction as an etiology for psychiatric symptoms or to follow patients on drugs that affect the thyroid gland. The clinician should remain aware that thyroid function test abnormalities do not always signify thyroid disease. Further endocrine evaluation is recommended whenever persistent thyroid function test abnormalities are observed.
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