Don't overlook Omega 3. In "The Omega-3 Connection: The Groundbreaking Antidepression Diet and Brain Program" by Stoll he uses it on his patients. He is the director of the psychopharmacology research lab at Harvard. He has treated several cases with Omega 3 and backs it up with clinical studies. In the book he says that the studies relied on a minimum of 3,000 mg of Omega 3 and could take a while to show results but many showed improvement in two or three weeks, others took six months. Most fish oil supplements have 300 mg of Omega 3, but it's cheap and has a host of other benefits as well. You can get the kind of fish oil that is not contaminated with heavy metals and other junk too, or you can get the prescription variety but that's expensive.
I went through a bout of significant depression about 15 years ago when I was dealing with PTSD. Found that meditation worked great for me and continue to practice it. In our fast paced society people forget to slow down and take daily time for themselves. Any form of relaxation will help but a meditation with grounding is what I use.
In the book I referenced they cured depression with Omega 3/fish oil alone.
I took a seminar from from a woman who is an Auschwitz survivor and now a PhD psychologist of many years standing. One of your little truisms was "If you suppress you will depress." If you deny your emotions including anger and hate, you will become depressed. Denial is the biggest source of depression.
Nutrition is but one contributing factor to depression.
I continue to disagree because there is nothing to back it up, except in some rare cases. A much bigger healer by far is the placebo effect. If you think you are doing something to help your condition, you as spirit will improve regardless of whether or not you really did something with nutrients, supplements, or medications.
I too have overcome years of depression - and severe, suicidal, PTSD, without meds, without nutrition. I did it with a spec of counseling (which was of no help - except to point out that I had difficulties in life that could be the cause) and loads of meditation. It was meditation that pulled me out of both of them.
A proper nutrition helps all kinds of mental and physical illness, but to say that it cures them is very misleading.
"This is correct, but if you have a nutritional disorder - a physical illness or disease - then this needs to be treated first BEFORE considering "psychological" or other factors. You cannot argue with physics and chemistry."
That is totally untrue, and you haven't got a thing in physics (where did that one come from) or chemistry to even begin to back you up. You haven't presented a single FACT to support your irrational train of thought.
"Three recent studies document that consumption of processed foods increase odds of depression, and not only that, but those high protein, high fat diets (high in animal products) are also linked with more depression. The diet to protect against depression – that is simple, a high nutrient, plant-based diet outlined in my books, Eat for Health and Eat to Live."
I'll go back to my original point, a healthy diet may assist in the healing of any disease, mental or physical, but it is not the cause of depression and none of your references even hint at it. Also, they are neither peer-reviewed studies nor are they studies by accepted sources. I would say that alcohol is a much bigger contributor to depression than nutrition.
One other point - which comes first? Depression? Or unhealthy nutrition? I can guarantee you that when a person becomes depressed and they have no respectable self-image that they will do all sorts of harmful things to their bodies and poor nutrition is just one of them.
Regarding alcohol and depression you can find all sorts of connections - much more so than the contributing factor of nutrition. Below is but one small link between alcohol and depression and you can find a zillion others all over the place.
http://depression.about.com/od/drugsalcohol/a/alcoholanddep.htm
Depression and Alcohol Problems Go Together
When alcohol wears off, you will be more depressed than ever.
{Ann Landers' to readers, Dec. 5, 1993, as well as many other medical sources}
Depression and alcohol problems often go together, but the evidence suggests
that in men alcohol use preceded the depression, whereas in women the depression
precedes the alcohol use.
{American Journal of Epidemiology, "Study Links Depression and Alcohol
Problems," Washington Post Health, Dec. 16, 1997}
Depression and Alcohol Problems Go Together
When alcohol wears off, you will be more depressed than ever.
{Ann Landers' to readers, Dec. 5, 1993, as well as many other medical sources}
Depression and alcohol problems often go together, but the evidence suggests
that in men alcohol use preceded the depression, whereas in women the depression
precedes the alcohol use.
{American Journal of Epidemiology, "Study Links Depression and Alcohol
Problems," Washington Post Health, Dec. 16, 1997}
"Three recent studies document that consumption of processed foods
increase odds of depression, and not only that, but those high protein, high fat
diets (high in animal products) are also linked with more depression....."
I know for a fact that that is a blatant lie. Four years ago I was diagnosed Type II diabetic and took classes at my clinic who taught us to control or reduce our diabetes with a high protein, unlimited fat, low carbohydrate (15 per meal - 45 per day total) diet. Since going on this diet I have lost weight, have increased energy, controlled my Type II with diet alone, and have felt better than I have in years. Most all the other students that I took the classes with have experienced the same benefits. There hasn't been even a hint of depression or PTSD since going on this diet and my lipid profile has improved as well.
The clinic who puts all of their Type IIs on this diet (which is many thousands of people) and has been researching diabetes since 1923 and it simply blows your statement all to pieces.
You are obviously posting in order to sell your book.
Hi, I hope you're feeling better. I wonder if you feel so overwhelmed because you just stopped taking the Celexa? From what I learned, that can make the anxiety worse.
I started to wean myself off Klonopin last November. The Klonopin withdrawal was very bad for weeks but it did eventually get better. Hang in there, you will start to feel better.