Page 50 - Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatments in Psychiatry

50 | Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatments in Psychiatry

bipolar disorder, raising the possibility of the use of folate in
treatment and prevention.” (Gilbody 2007)

Vitamin B12
Cobalamin, commonly known as vitamin B12, is another link in
the methylation cycle. Psychiatric signs of deficiency include
concentration difficulties, confusion, irritation, impaired
memory, dementia, irritability, depression, personality changes,
and psychosis.
Psychiatric symptoms may exist despite the absence of typical
blood or neurologic symptoms common with B12 deficiency.
Psychosis may respond to supplementation, even after a
prolonged period of cobalamin deficiency. B12-related mental
disorders can manifest even with low-to-moderate B12 serum
levels. If homocysteine or methylmalonic acid levels are
elevated, despite “normal” B12 levels, a deficiency could be
indicated. This is a particular issue with the elderly, who
commonly experience B12 deficiency, in part due to a scarcity of
intrinsic factor, a glycoprotein that aids in B12 absorption
(Sabeen 2009). For these patients, injected B12 may prove more
effective than supplements taken orally. It should be noted that
some non-elderly also do not produce sufficient intrinsic factor
and are at risk for psychiatric symptoms due to B12 deficiency,
as are vegans and vegetarians.
Recent research suggests that B12 supplementation may reduce
the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. In Finland 271 people, age 65 to
79, were selected who did not have dementia at the start of the
study. Over a seven-year span, 17 people developed AD.
Researchers found that, as homocysteine levels rose (a factor of
B12 deficiency), the likelihood of AD increased. The same was
true as B12 levels dropped (Hooshmand 2010).
B12 has been found as a marker of how well people will respond
to treatment for depression. In another Finnish study,
researchers monitored 115 patients suffering from depression
over a six-month period and grouped them according to how