Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder that causes recurring stressful thoughts or obsessions that are followed by compulsions, which are repeated in an uncontrollable manner as a means of repressing the stressful thought [66]. It is well documented that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) help patients with OCD [67]. Therefore, it is clear that nutrients which increase serotonin levels will reduce the symptoms of OCD. As discussed earlier, the amino acid tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin, and tryptophan supplements (which are better than 5-Hydroxytryptophan) will increase serotonin levels and treat OCD [68].

A commercially available supplement called Amoryn has recently proven to help patients suffering from depression, anxiety, and OCD [69,70]. The main ingredient in Amoryn, St. John's wort, has been shown to help OCD patients better deal with their recurring thoughts and compulsions. Two double-blind, placebo-controlled studies were recently performed that compared the affects of a 900 mg daily dose of St. John's wort extract to 20 mg daily doses of Paroxetine (Paxil) or Fluoxetine; which are both SSRIs used to treat OCD. In comparison to patients taking Paxil, those who took the St. John's wort supplement showed a 57% decrease in OCD symptoms and were 47% less likely to exhibit side effects [69]. In comparison to patients taking Fluoxetine, consumption of the St. John's wort extract reduced 48% of OCD patient's symptoms [70]. These results clearly depict how the use nutritional supplements can be effective treatments for mental disorders.

Conclusion

Here we have shown just a few of the many documented nutritional therapies that can be utilized when treating mental disorders. Many of these studies were done in the 1970s and 1980s, but were soon discontinued because they were underfunded. Nutritional therapies have now become a long-forgotten method of treatment, because they were of no interest to pharmaceutical companies that could not patent or own them. Instead, the companies that funded most clinical research spent their dollars investigating synthetic drugs they could patent and sell; these drugs however usually caused adverse side effects.

There is tremendous resistance to using supplements as treatments from clinicians, mostly due to their lack of knowledge on the subject. Others rather use prescription drugs that the drug companies and the FDA researches, monitors and recalls if necessary. However, for some patients, prescription drugs do not have the efficacy of nutritional supplements and they sometimes have far more dangerous side effects. So for clinicians to avoid these supplement therapies because of a lack of knowledge and unwillingness to use treatments not backed by drug companies and the FDA, they are compromising their patients' recovery due to their own laziness or selfishness.

Clinical studies that show the ability of a prescription drug to effectively treat mental disorders will often argue that supplements as treatments, when unmonitored, are more risky than prescription drugs and may ineffectively treat a patient's symptoms. For example one study listed several methods of treatment, none of which include natural compounds, for OCD patients that include: megadoses of SSRIs, intravenous chlomipramine, oral morphine, deep brain stimulation, and functional neurosurgery [67]. Most of these treatments are invasive or unnatural and will inevitably cause severe side effects to the patient, whose symptoms will probably still reoccur over time. Another example of the literature scaring clinicians away from supplement therapies is an article that warns patients about the dangers of consuming high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. This manuscript involves a patient who was taking approximately 10 times more than the recommended dose of omega-3 supplements [40]. Numerous studies have shown that up 2 grams of EPA (omega-3 fatty acid) taken daily is sufficient for decreasing symptoms of several mental health disorders with no side effects. This publication with a megadose of omega-3 fatty acids stresses the importance of monitoring the consumption of supplements as well as prescribed drugs, preferably through regular consultations with a licensed health care professional.

Proper medical diagnosis and a clear description of all possible treatment options should always be the first plan of action when treating mental disorders. However, the final decision on whether or not to try nutritional supplements as a treatment must be based on the patient preferences. Now with consumers becoming more interested in natural and holistic therapies, nutritional therapies have been well-received, and some studies are again underway in these areas. New well-designed clinical studies are being published daily on the positive effects of nutritional and supplement therapies on all types of disorders and diseases. It will take some time for clinicians to become educated on all the options available, but this is an important task that should not be ignored.

Those with influence in this field should continue to examine natural treatments on the scientific level in order to increase the availability of grant money for this type of research. This will lead to a surge of researchers who will submit proposals for grants enabling laboratories to further investigate the hypothesis that proper nutrition contributes to better mental health.

Psychiatrists treating patients with mental disorders should be aware of available nutritional therapies, appropriate doses, and possible side effects in order to provide alternative and complementary treatments for their patients. This may reduce the number of noncompliant patients suffering from mental disorders that choose not to take their prescribed medications. As with any form of treatment, nutritional therapy should be supervised and doses should be adjusted as necessary to achieve optimal results.