With the increase in mental health issues in young adults, including depression and anxiety, doubling between 2007 and 2018 (Duffy, 2020), there has also been a large increase in the usage of pharmaceutical treatment of anxiety and depression. Though mental health issues are an incredibly serious issue, and every person both requires different treatments, and responds differently, there are many proven ways to treat mental health struggles beyond prescription medications. Our bodies require many macro and micronutrients, and we are just beginning to understand how those nutrients impact every aspect of our health.
One important first step in mental health is getting a full panel of bloodwork done by your primary care physician. It is important to not just do the normal tests for cholesterol, liver, thyroid…etc. You need to get tested for all vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids. These often are not covered, and need to be asked for separately; though don’t ignore your cholesterol or thyroid function! The study by Lakhan in 2008 showed how many different vitamins and minerals can be used to treat a large variety of mental health issues. More specifically, fixing any deficiencies have been found to also help treat mental health disorders without using pharmaceuticals.
One very popular mineral you may have seen all over social media, often promoted by influencers and celebrities, is magnesium. Though we cannot always trust medical advice from popstars online, there is a significant amount of peer-reviewed research to suggest that magnesium does, in fact, help. One study (Hawkey, 2019) found that magnesium supplementation caused significant improvements for individuals suffering from ADHD. There have also been many studies showing that it helps with depression, and especially anxiety. As most people do not get nearly enough magnesium from their foods, it is one of the more important mineral to supplement. The science of nutrition is also always learning more benefits of Omega fatty acids, in just about every aspect of our health. For our purposes, a study by Huang in 2016 demonstrated that Omega 3’s specifically, treated mood disorders when used with other non-pharmaceutical treatments.
On top of vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids which our bodies actually need to function, there have been many studies proving that alternative treatments can be just as effective as prescription medications for some people. One major supplement is Ashwagandha. Ashwagandha has been the topic of many studies, but one randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study (Lopresti, 2019) showed that Ashwagandha helped mental health overall, and especially anxiety. With the addictive nature of so many anxiety medications, an all-natural supplement is a great alternative for some people. Another very promising natural remedy is cocoa flavanols. Scholey (2010) showed that supplementing with cocoa flavanols helped with mood during sustained mental efforts. This is a huge benefit especially for students, who are going to school all day, and then studying during the evenings. These incredibly long days and mental effort take a toll on one’s mental health and is has been proven that cocoa flavanols both keep your mood up, as well as your performance high, without the need for anything prescribed or illicit.
The most important note is to seek the help of trained professionals. Speak to your doctor, a therapist, a nutritionist and/or a naturopath before you start just putting things in your body. Many mental health medications have very serious side effects, and if they can be avoided, they should. Many people, however, need those pharmaceuticals, and there is no shame in getting the help you need, in the way you need it. My first piece of advice was to get thoroughly tested, and my last was to speak with a professional. These are the two most important lessons from this post, and if you only remember two things, I hope for it to be that: get your bloodwork done and speak to a professional! Just keep in mind that a healthy diet wouldn’t hurt either.
Hawkey, A., Nigg, J. T., Rojas, N. M., Bacher, R. F., & Franowicz, J. S. (2019). Magnesium supplementation in adults with ADHD: An open-label trial. Journal of Attention Disorders, 23(3), 208–221.
Huang, S. Y., Yang, H. I., & Shih, H. C. (2016). Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplements on Mood Disorders: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2016, 1–16.
Lakhan, S. E., & Vieira, K. F. (2008). Nutritional therapies for mental disorders. Nutrition Journal, 7(1), 2.
Lopresti, A. L., Smith, S. J., Malvi, H., & Kodgule, R. (2019). An investigation into the stress-relieving and pharmacological actions of an ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) extract: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Medicine, 98(37), e17186.
Scholey, A. B., French, S. J., Morris, P. J., Kennedy, D. O., Milne, A. L., & Haskell, C. F. (2010). Consumption of cocoa flavanols results in acute improvements in mood and cognitive performance during sustained mental effort. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 24(10), 1505–1514.