MAJOR DEPRESSION IS ONE OF THE MOST PREVALENT mental disorders in the United States. For some, the condition results in severe impairments interfering with the ability to carry out activities of daily living. Can diet play a role in the management of depression?
Overall, between 20 percent and 25 percent of adults may suffer an episode of major depression during their lifetime.
Researchers recently published the results of a 12-week randomized clinical trial in the peer-reviewed American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The results suggest a Mediterranean diet is associated with improved symptoms of depression.
Today we explore a definition of major depression, the epidemiology of the condition, and the new findings on the mental health benefits of a healthy diet.
What is major depression?
With major (clinical) depression, there can be a constant sense of hopelessness and despair. Many have trouble working, sleeping, studying, eating, or enjoying family and friends. The condition can be a one-time affair, or it can be more chronic.
Major depression can sometimes run in families, occurring from generation to generation. Others with the illness have no family history of it.
The 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) explains that major depression is:
“A period of at least two weeks when a person experienced a depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure in daily activities and had a majority of specified symptoms, such as problems with sleep, eating, energy, concentration, or self-worth.”
How common is major depression?
The United States National Institute of Mental Health explains that 21 million adults have had at least one episode of major depression. This number translates to over eight percent of all American adults.
There are differences by sex: The prevalence among adult females is 10.5 percent, compared with 6.2 percent for males. The incidence is also higher among younger individuals. For those aged 18 to 25 years, the chances of having had a major depressive episode are 17 percent.
The World Health Organization estimates that major depression affects 3.8 percent of the population, including five percent of adults and nearly six percent of adults older than 60.
Depression is the product of a complex interplay between biological and social factors. You probably know someone who has gone through an adverse life event (such as losing a job, death of someone dear to them, or a relationship breakup). Such individuals are more likely to develop depression, leading to additional stress and dysfunction.
Physical health and depression can affect one another, too. For example, heart disease can lead to depression and vice versa.
Some common triggers or causes of major depression include:
- Loss of a loved one through divorce, death, or separation
- Social isolation
- Major life changes — moving, graduation, job change, retirement
- Personal conflicts in relationships
- Emotional, physical, or sexual abuse
Depression management
Depending on the pattern and severity of depressive episodes over time, management interventions may include behavioral activation, cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, and antidepressant medication.
On occasion, other medications are added to an antidepressant to boost the effectiveness of the antidepressant agent. It may be necessary for your doctor to try different medicines at different doses to optimize medical therapy for you.
In addition, there are other treatment options for clinical depression — including electroconvulsive therapy, also called ECT or shock therapy — that may be options if medicines are ineffective or your symptoms are severe.
Other management interventions for major depression include intranasal ketamine or transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).
Depression and diet
Young men with a poor diet experienced a significant improvement in their depressive symptoms when transitioning to a healthy Mediterranean diet. (A befriending intervention served as a control.)
That’s the conclusion from Australian researchers publishing recently in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Lead researcher Jessica Bayes says the study is the first randomized clinical trial to assess the impact of a Mediterranean diet on the symptoms of depression in young men (aged 18 to 25).
Compared with befriending, a Mediterranean-type diet intervention significantly improved quality of life and Beck Depression Inventory Scale scores.
Speaking in ScienceDaily, Bayes continues: “We were surprised by how willing the young men were to take on a new diet. Those assigned to the Mediterranean diet were able to significantly change their original diets, under the guidance of a nutritionist, over a short time frame. The primary focus was on increasing diet quality with fresh wholefoods while reducing the intake of fast foods, sugar, and processed red meat.”
Is the study definitive? No, it lasted only 12 weeks and only involved young males. Still, I think it is hypothesis-generating and contributes to the new field of nutritional psychiatry.
I am pleased that virtually all the study subjects stayed with the program, and many appeared keen to continue the diet once the study ended, suggesting that they found it helpful.
Thirty percent of depressed patients don’t adequately respond to standard treatments for major depressive disorder. Diet may be one more tool available for those suffering from depression.
If you think you’re getting depressed, please don’t try to tough it out. See your doctor. And make sure you get the backing you need from family, friends, and support groups.
Please take a moment to sign up to follow this blog. Thank you.
The information I provided in this blog is for educational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a medical professional or healthcare provider if you seek medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment. I am not liable for risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information in this blog.
