World Mental Health Day

None of this is easy.

The impact that a mood disorder can have on your quality of life and ability to function cannot be overstated.

Mood disorders are complex.

Mood disorders are common.

You may or may not have a diagnosis.

You may or may not taken prescription medication. Even if you are taking prescription medication, it may not completely address your mood disorder. So what else is there?

My job is ask “what is the biological mechanism resulting in your depression and/or anxiety?”.

Simply put, what is going on in your body which is standing in the way of your ability to feel motivated, to take pleasure in your life, to feel balanced, content and purposeful?

Then I ask, what can be done about it?

There are some obvious starting points:

-        The availability of vitamin B12, folic acid, vitamin B6, zinc and magnesium impact mood.

-        Adequate thyroid hormones, progesterone, oestrogen and testosterone impact mood.

The only way to establish if deficiencies of these hormones or nutrients play a part in your mood disorder is to test your levels. Many of these markers can be tested by your GP using a simple blood test.  

But what can be done without testing?

This is where I start: the research tells us very clearly that everyone’s brain health book has at least three chapters. There may be many more, but we must get the following foundations in place:

- blood sugar stability,

- consistent and refreshing sleep, and

- exercise at a level that does not exceed your energy threshold.

Over the coming weeks, I am going to explain how to work out if any of these factors could be affecting your mood and how to make gentle changes to your diet and lifestyle to support your mood.

Any questions, please ask below.