Objective: Exegetic review of the three areas of common interest to the endocrinologist and the psychiatrist. Method: Literature review through Science Citation Index and references in BMJ, Lancet, Nature, and Science. Findings: Psychiatric symptoms, specific in each condition, may develop in the course of a classical endocrinopathy. Though introduced as a possible diagnostic aid, titration of the hypothalamico-pituitary control of the adrenal and thyroid glands has proved to be a useful research strategy and possible prognostic indicator in affective disorders. Growth in our knowledge of the behaviour effects, distribution, function and pathophysiology of neuropeptides during the last two decades opens a magic casement on their potential value in neuropsychiatric theory and therapy. Conclusion: The psychiatrist ignores endocrinology at his peril, as does the endocrinologist psychiatry, especially in regard to the emerging role of peptides in neuromodulation.
