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Page 1 of 9 Shaheen E Lakhan and Karen F Vieira
Global Neuroscience Initiative Foundation, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Nutrition Journal 2008,
7:2doi:10.1186/1475-2891-7-2
Abstract
According
to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4 out of
the 10 leading causes of disability in the US and other developed
countries are mental disorders. Major depression, bipolar disorder,
schizophrenia, and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) are among the
most common mental disorders that currently plague numerous countries
and have varying incidence rates from 26 percent in America to 4
percent in China. Though some of this difference may be attributable to
the manner in which individual healthcare providers diagnose mental
disorders, this noticeable distribution can be also explained by
studies which show that a lack of certain dietary nutrients contribute
to the development of mental disorders. Notably, essential vitamins,
minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids are often deficient in the general
population in America and other developed countries; and are
exceptionally deficient in patients suffering from mental disorders.
Studies have shown that daily supplements of vital nutrients often
effectively reduce patients' symptoms. Supplements that contain amino
acids also reduce symptoms, because they are converted to
neurotransmitters that alleviate depression and other mental disorders.
Based on emerging scientific evidence, this form of nutritional
supplement treatment may be appropriate for controlling major
depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and anxiety disorders,
eating disorders, attention deficit disorder/attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD), addiction, and autism. The aim of
this manuscript is to emphasize which dietary supplements can aid the
treatment of the four most common mental disorders currently affecting
America and other developed countries: major depression, bipolar
disorder, schizophrenia, and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
Most antidepressants and other prescription drugs cause severe side
effects, which usually discourage patients from taking their
medications. Such noncompliant patients who have mental disorders are
at a higher risk for committing suicide or being institutionalized. One
way for psychiatrists to overcome this noncompliance is to educate
themselves about alternative or complementary nutritional treatments.
Although in the cases of certain nutrients, further research needs to
be done to determine the best recommended doses of most nutritional
supplements, psychiatrists can recommend doses of dietary supplements
based on previous and current efficacious studies and then adjust the
doses based on the results obtained.
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