Psychology
Burnout: signs, causes and recovery
Burnout is exhaustion, cynicism and falling effectiveness caused by chronic work stress. How it differs from depression, who is at risk, and what actually helps.
27 Sept 20267 min read
TSH
Pronounced tee-ess-AYCH
Also known as Thyroid stimulating hormone, Thyrotropin
TSH is the pituitary hormone that tells the thyroid how hard to work, and it is the first blood test used to check thyroid function. It reads in the opposite direction to intuition — a high TSH means an underactive thyroid.
The pituitary gland samples thyroid hormone continuously and adjusts its output of TSH to keep it steady. When the is underperforming, the pituitary pushes harder and TSH rises; when the thyroid is overactive, the pituitary backs off and TSH falls toward zero. The test therefore measures the body's own assessment of its thyroid, which is why it is more sensitive than measuring thyroid hormone directly.
| TSH | Usually means | Typical picture |
|---|---|---|
| High | Underactive thyroid | — tiredness, cold, weight gain |
| Low | Overactive thyroid | Palpitations, weight loss, heat intolerance |
| Normal | Thyroid functioning normally | Symptoms usually have another cause |
Where this comes up
General Medicine
The Annual Health Check: What Is Worth Testing
A useful yearly check is six or seven cheap tests, not a fifty-test package. What to ask for at each age, what to skip, and how to read the report.
30 Aug 202610 min read
Mental Health
Anxiety: When Worry Becomes an Illness
Anxiety is a real illness with real physical symptoms, and it responds to treatment. What helps, what makes it worse, and why alprazolam is the wrong first answer.
29 Aug 202612 min read
Mental Health
Depression: Telling It Apart From Ordinary Sadness
Depression is not weakness or a lack of faith. How to tell it from ordinary sadness, what treatment involves, and what to do if someone is thinking of ending their life.
29 Aug 202613 min read
Related terms
- ThyroidThyroid glandThe thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in the neck that sets the body's metabolic pace. Too little hormone slows nearly everything down; too much speeds it up.
- HypothyroidismUnderactive thyroid, Low thyroidHypothyroidism means the thyroid gland is producing too little thyroid hormone, so the body's processes run slow. Tiredness, weight gain, feeling cold, constipation and dry skin are typical, and it is treated with a single daily tablet.
- MetabolismMetabolic rateMetabolism is the whole set of chemical reactions a body uses to turn food into energy, build tissue and clear waste. It runs constantly, and most of it happens whether a person is active or asleep.
- ScreeningScreening testScreening is testing people who feel well, to find a condition earlier than symptoms would. It is only worth doing when finding the condition early genuinely changes what happens next.