Page 55 - Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatments in Psychiatry

Nutritional Treatments in Psychiatry | 55

Vitamin D
The role of Vitamin D in mental health is just beginning to
unfold. Generated primarily by the body through sun and light
exposure, this nutrient, among other things, plays a role in
stress mediation through the regulation of dopamine and
cortisol. Although clinical studies are few, epidemiological
studies show remarkable associations between low Vitamin D
and psychiatric disorders, including depression and bipolar
disorder. A review of 250 publications found that patients with
either schizophrenia or bipolar disorder are more frequently
born in winter or spring. These same periods have the largest
maternal decline in plasma concentrations of vitamin D
(Ashkanian 2010).
A previously-cited study of 18,411 women found that those in
the highest quartile of Vitamin D consumption had a 37% lower
risk of psychotic-like behavior than women in the lowest
quartile (Hedelin 2010).
Consistent with a number of studies, an examination of the
Vitamin D levels of 2070 participants over the age of 65 in
England found that low D serum levels were clearly associated
with depressive symptoms (Stewart 2010).
Given Vitamin D‘s broad impact on health in general and poor
diet and lack of sun exposure commonly found in psychiatric
patients, testing for serum D levels and correcting them is an
inexpensive but effective way of protecting and improving a
patient’s mental and physical health.

Minerals

Like vitamins, minerals of all kinds are needed for normal
physical and cerebral function. A lack of one or more minerals or
a metabolic failure to correctly process minerals can create
deficiency states that negatively impact mental activity,
emotion, and/or behavior.