A lack of essential nutrients is known to contribute to the onset of poor mental health in people suffering from anxiety and depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and ADHD. Nutritional psychiatry is a growing discipline that focuses on the use of food and supplements to provide these essential nutrients as part of an integrated or alternative treatment for mental health disorders.
Nutritional approaches for these debilitating conditions are not widely accepted by mainstream medicine. Treatment options tend to be limited to official National Institute for Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines which recommend talking therapies and antidepressants.
Use of antidepressants
Antidepressant use has more than doubled in recent years. In England, 64.7m prescriptions were issued for antidepressants in 2016. This, at a cost of 266.6m. This is an increase of 3.7m on the number of items prescribed in 2015.
A recent Oxford University study finds that antidepressants are more effective in treating depression than placebo. The study is led by Dr Andrea Cipriani who claims that depression is under treated. Cipriani maintains that antidepressants are effective and a further 1m prescriptions should be issued to people in the UK.
This approach suggests that poor mental health, resulting from social conditions, is easily treated with medication. But antidepressants are shunned by people whom they could help because of the social stigma which leads to discrimination and exclusion.
More worrying is the increase in the use of antidepressants by children and young people. In Scotland, 5,572 children under 18 were taking antidepressants for anxiety and depression in 2006. This figure has more than doubled since 2009/2010.
According to British psychopharmacologist Professor David Healy, 29 clinical trials of antidepressant use in young people found no benefits at all. These trials show that instead of relieving symptoms, antidepressants caused children to feel suicidal.
Healy also challenges their safety and effectiveness in adults. He believes that antidepressants are over-prescribed. That there is little evidence that they are safe for long-term use. Antidepressants are said to create dependency, have unpleasant side effects and cannot be relied upon to always relieve symptoms.
Nutrition and poor mental health
In developed countries, people eat a greater variety of foods than ever before. However, they are not well nourished. In fact, many people do not eat enough nutrients that are essential for good brain health. Instead, they opt for a diet of heavily processed food containing artificial additives and sugar.
The link between poor mental health and nutritional deficiencies has long been recognized by nutritionists working in the complementary health sector. Psychiatrists are only now becoming increasingly aware of the benefits of using nutritional approaches to mental health. They are calling for their peers to support and research this new field of treatment.
It is now known that many mental health conditions result from and inflammation in the brain. This inflammation ultimately causes our brain cells to die. This inflammatory response starts in our gut. It is associated with a lack of nutrients from our food such as magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids, probiotics, vitamins and minerals. These are all essential for the optimum functioning of our bodies.
Recent research shows that food supplements such as zinc, magnesium, omega 3, and vitamins B and D3 can help improve people’s mood. Additionally, they can relieve anxiety and depression and improve the mental capacity of people with Alzheimer’s.
Magnesium is one of most important minerals for optimal health, yet many people are lacking in it. One study finds that a daily magnesium citrate supplement leads to a significant improvement in depression and anxiety. This, regardless of age, gender or severity of depression. Improvement did not continue when the supplement was stopped.
Omega-3 fatty acids are another nutrient that is critical for the development and function of the central nervous system. A lack has been associated with low mood, cognitive decline and poor comprehension.
The role of probiotics – the beneficial live bacteria in your digestive system – in improving mental health is also being explored by psychiatrists and nutritionists. Studies find that taking them daily is associated with a significant reduction in depression and anxiety. Vitamin B complex and zinc are other supplements found to reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Hope for the future?
These over-the-counter” supplements are widely available although the cost and quality may vary. For people who have not responded to prescription drugs or who cannot tolerate the side effects, nutritional intervention can offer hope for the future.
There is currently much debate over the effectiveness of antidepressants. The use of food supplements offer an alternative approach that has the potential to make a significant difference to the mental health of all age groups.
The emerging scientific evidence suggests that there should be a bigger role for nutritional psychiatry in mental health within conventional health services. If the burden of mental ill health is to be reduced, GPs and psychiatrists need to be aware of the connection between food, inflammation and mental illness.
Medical education has traditionally excluded nutritional knowledge and its association with disease. This has led to a situation where very few doctors in the UK have a proper understanding of the importance of nutrition. Nutritional interventions are thought to have little evidence to support their use to prevent or maintain well-being. As a result, this has been left to dietitians, rather than doctors, to advise on.
As the evidence mounts up, it is time for medical education to take nutrition seriously. GPs and psychiatrists of the future will know as much about its role in good health as they do about anatomy and physiology. The state of our mental health could depend on it