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Rose Gallo

PSYC 380 17

Dr. Fowles

24 April 2017

The Necessity of Nutrition in Treatment of Mental Disorders

Nutrition has an impact on every part of a persons daily life. It influences their

habits, overall health, and energy. Provided it affects everything from the way a

person performs to the way they think, it is not surprising that nutrition also has an

impact on mental health. It can impair or improve mental functioning and be used as

a factor in predicting or preventing mental illness. These mental illnesses can also

be used to statistically predict a persons risk of lifestyle disease and overall health.

This link between nutrition and its impact on mental health has been poorly

acknowledged in the treatment of mental disorders. While drugs and various types

of therapy have been proven effective in the treatment of specific disorders, they fail

to regard a patients health in its entirety and target treatment from a broader

standpoint. Improving nutrition through greater care in selection of fruits,

vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats and decreased consumption of processed

food and added sugar, forces patients to be more aware of their daily habits and

greatly improves their overall health, including mental functioning. Greater

emphasis on nutrition can and should be used more widely in the scope of mental

disorder treatment due to its positive influence on a patients overall health and

increasing need for intervention in the community of those with mental illness.
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The link between people with mental disorders and nutrition most notably has to

do with their overall health and diet. It has been found that people with mental

disorders tend to have a lower motivation and awareness of necessity of self care,

(Wallace and Tennant, 1998) leading to both a direct and indirect impact on

psychological health. Indirectly, these behaviors lead to lifestyle diseases such as

heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, with heart disease as the leading cause of death

in psychiatric patients, (Crocker, 2010). When these lifestyle diseases are found in

mentally ill patients, they tend to contribute to a greater chance of death with

schizophrenic patients actually having a greater mortality rate from these diseases,

(Wallace and Tennant, 1998). There are a higher percentage of overweight

individuals in the mentally ill population than in the general population partly due

to these nutritive behaviors that extend to physiological factors such as immune

system function, oxidative stress, and overall biochemistry all factors linked to

various mental disorders (Jacka, Mykletun, Berk, Bjelland, and Tell, 2011).

According to the Journal of Community Nursing, obese people have a 55% greater

risk of developing depression and alternatively, depressed people have a 58%

greater risk of developing obesity (Jennings, 2015).

Directly, various food sources, specifically macronutrients and micronutrients in

these sources have been found to have an impact on the neurological functioning of

the brain and overall mental health. Polyunsaturated fats for example, contribute to

brain development. Omega-3s are a type of fatty acid that aid in inflammatory

control, particularly in the brain, becoming a key factor in the prediction and/or

prevention of dementia and Alzheimers disease (Jennings, 2015). Certain

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micronutrients also play a role in mental health due to the key neurobiological roles

they play every day. For example, the vitamin folate functions in a process in the

body that converts homocysteine to methionine. Methionine then goes on to create

the product S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) that eventually assists in the production

of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, epinephrine, and dopamine contributing

factors to the onset or prevention of various mental illnesses. Inadequate intake of

folate, through low consumption of green leafy vegetables or enriched foods leads to

an eventual decreased production of these neurotransmitters, leading to the onset

of mental disorders such as depression (Miller, 2008). Another micronutrient, zinc,

in deficiency, leads to an increase in glutamate, an excitatory neurotransmitter, and

a decrease in GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter. This combination leads to

overexcitement and stress on the body which has been linked to the development of

anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder (Deans, 2013). These specific findings help

to explain that on a broad scale, a diet high in processed food and sugar has been

associated with an increased risk of mental illness while diets high in plant food and

lean proteins have been associated with a decreased risk of mental health (Jacka et

al. 2017). A study of schizophrenic patients in 2017 found that the tendency of

patients to consume a poor diet led to several vitamin and mineral deficiencies,

including D and B vitamins. These deficiencies led to impairment in the

hippocampus and multiple cognitive functions, which contribute to the increased

severity of the disease (Firth et al. 2017). Those foods deemed nutritious fruits,

vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats are labeled so due to the fact that they

contain various nutrients and antioxidants that aid in the bodys regulation of
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metabolism. A disruption or deficiency in any of these key metabolic processes leads

to impaired functioning, unstable production of certain neurotransmitters, and

overall poor physical and mental health.

This association between mental health and nutrition can be used in both

prediction and avoidance of mental illness, as evidenced by multiple studies. Mental

illnesses, particularly anxiety and depression, have been found to be associated with

increased or decreased intake of certain foods, causing researchers to believe that

dietary habits can be used as a contributing factor in the maintenance of mental

health. For example, in regards to fatty acids, anxious and depressed individuals

have been found to report lower intakes of polyunsaturated fats (ONeil et al. 2014,

Stefanska et al. 2016). Additionally, depressed individuals reported lower amounts

of fiber and protein intake. Fiber helps contribute to overall health and protein

intake allows the body to build various neurotransmitters, such as serotonin,

helping to prevent the onset of depression (Stefanska et al. 2016). Another study

conducted an intervention of a healthier diet on mentally ill individuals and

determined that the severity of depressive symptoms could be reduced with

increased intake of various nutrients. Researchers of this study increased

participant consumption of foods such as olive oil, green and yellow vegetables, and

protein. The results of this study showed a decrease of severe depressive symptoms

due to the neurological effects that the various fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and

amino acids have on the body as described earlier (Jacka et al. 2017). Through

findings of both associations between mental illness and dietary intake as well as
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dietary intervention as an effect on mental illness symptoms, research can be used

as a tool in highlighting the importance of nutrition on mental illness.

There is a great need to give an increased acknowledgement to the influence of

nutrition on mental disorders. Depressed and anxious individuals tend to have

various levels of appetite leading to an over or under consumption of nutrients.

Certain drugs used to treat psychosis can affect a patients metabolism and lead to

weight gain (Jennings, 2015). The high comorbidity rate between lifestyle diseases

and mental illness is not surprising when considering the low stress on diet and

nutrition these individuals receive. Without education on nutrition, mentally ill

patients will have no reason or desire to change their lifestyle habits or diet, as they

may be unaware of the connection between mental health and nutrition. Proper

nutrition has the power to reduce side effects of drugs used to treat mental illness

(Arnold, Hill, and Zahradnicek, 2007), improves brain function and reduces risk of

lifestyle disease (Stefanska et al. 2016), and even has therapeutic effects. By taking

greater care in personal nutrition, a person will have greater control over their life

in regard to their daily schedule, cooking, shopping, and overall meal patterns (Jacka

et al. 2017).

There also seems to be a connection between socioeconomic status, mental

illness, and nutrition education. People of lower socioeconomic status have a higher

prevalence of mental disorders as well as lower access to nutritious foods and

nutrition education. Alternatively, people of higher socioeconomic status tend to

have a lower prevalence of mental illness and greater access and availability in

maintenance of a healthy diet, further dividing the two populations (Jacka et al.
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2011). The negative effects of poor nutrition education and low access to resources

on lower income populations have had drastic effects on overall health, including

mental health. Without the understanding of how diet impacts the body and why

such a great emphasis must be placed on it, psychiatric individuals will continue to

put nutrition and diet as a lower priority to their mental health when in fact, the two

are intertwined. When being treated for mental disorders, it is essential that

counselors and doctors understand the connection between these two areas of

study and use it to the advantage of their client. By treating a specific patients

disorder with their own dietary needs in mind, a doctor has the power to greatly

enhance the quality of life of their patient as well as create more potential benefits

of treatment.

Throughout the world of research in treatment of psychological disorders,

doctors have made great strides to reduce the negative effects of mental illness and

improve patients quality of life. However, the majority of these treatments fail to

account for a patients overall health and how something as simple as nutrition

breaks through these barriers of mental illness to create improvements in all

aspects of their life. Diet has been found to have a direct impact on brain

development and function, as well as overall risk of disease and lifestyle

impairment. The failure to intervene in a patients treatment by not acknowledging

their health on a broader scale, fails the patient and stalls productivity in future

research of mental disorder treatment. The association between nutrition and

mental illness can be used to greatly enhance the positive effects of treatment

already in place as well as establish new potential benefits. Nutrition intervention,

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therefore, has the power to be used to treat a patient in all aspects of their mental

functioning and daily life and should be more greatly encouraged to do so.
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Works Cited

Arnold, C., Hill, L., & Zahradnicek, L. (2007). An Interdisciplinary Wellness Approach

to Improving the Nutrition and Health Status of Patients with Mental

Illness. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 107(8), A103.

http://dx.doi.org.udel.idm.oclc.org/10.1016/j.jada.2007.05.392

Crocker, Susan H.V. (October 2010). Real Food Matters for Health. Journal of

Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 2010, 48, 10, 48.

Deans, E. (September 2013). Zinc: an Antidepressant. Retrieved April 18, 2017, from

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolutionary-

psychiatry/201309/zinc-antidepressant

Firth, J., Stubbs, B., Sarris, J., Rosenbaum, S., Teasdale, S., Berk, M. and Yung, A.R.

(2017) The effects of vitamin and mineral supplementation on symptoms of

schizophrenia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychological

Medicine, pp. 113. doi: 10.1017/S0033291717000022.

Jacka, F. N., PhD, Mykletun, A., PhD, Berk, M., PhD, Bjelland, I., MD, PhD, & Tell, G. S.,

PhD. (2011). The Association Between Habitual Diet Quality and the

Common Mental Disorders in Community-Dwelling Adults: The Hordaland

Health Study. Psychosomatic Medicine,73(6), 483-490.

doi:10.1097/PSY.0b013e318222831a
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Jacka, F. N., ONeil, A., Opie, R., Itsiopoulos, C., Cotton, S., Mohebbi, M., . . . Berk, M.

(2017). A randomised controlled trial of dietary improvement for adults with

major depression (the SMILES trial). BMC Medicine,15(1).

doi:10.1186/s12916-017-0791-y

Jennings, F. (2015). The Importance of Diet and Nutrition in Severe Mental Health

Problems. Journal of Community Nursing, 29(5), 68+. Retrieved from

http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=udel_main&v=2.1&it=r

&id=GALE%7CA433011703&asid=902ddfc8748546119d957d3dbc45fab6

Miller, A. (2008). The Methylation, Neurotransmitter, and Antioxidant Connections

between Folate and Depression. Alternative Medicine Review, 13(3). 216-226.

O'Neil, A., Quirk, S. E., Housden, S., Brennan, S. L., Williams, L. J., Pasco, J. A., . . . Jacka,

F. N. (2014). Relationship between diet and mental health in children and

adolescents: A systematic review. American Journal of Public Health, 104(10),

e31-42. Retrieved from

https://search.proquest.com/docview/1564433274?accountid=10457

Stefaska , E., Wendoowicz, A., Cwalina, U., Konarzewska, B., Waszkiewicz, N., &

Ostrowska, L. (2016). Eating habits and the risk of cardiovascular disease in

patients with recurrent depressive disorders. Psychiatria Polska,50(6), 1119-

1133. doi:https://doi.org/10.12740/PP/62682
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Wallace, B., & Tennant, C. (1998). Nutrition and obesity in the chronic mentally ill.

Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 32(1), 82-85.