Depression is Now the No. 1 Cause of Illness and Disability Worldwide

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), depression is now the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide, affecting an estimated 322 million people worldwide, including more than 16 million Americans. Globally, rates of depression increased by 18 percent between 2005 and 2015.

According to the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health, 11 percent of Americans over the age of 12 are taking antidepressant drugs. Among women in their 40 and 50s, 1 in 4 is on antidepressants.

Depression is strongly linked to an increased risk for substance abuse, suicide, and diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.

In addition to the human suffering it causes, the financial impact of depression is also severe. WHO estimates the global economic loss by households, employers and governments is at least $1 trillion annually.

And rates of depression continue to rise…

Depression Is Under-Recognized and Undertreated

According to WHO, a majority of people with depression suffer in silence or do not get adequate care. In high-income countries such as the U.S., an estimated 50 percent of depressed individuals do not get treatment. In low-income countries, that ratio is closer to 80 or 90 percent.

An estimated 6 million seniors in the U.S. also struggle with depression, yet only 10 percent receive treatment. Part of the problem relates to lack of funding. On average, governments spend only 3 percent of their health budget on mental health programs. In a statement, WHO director-general Margaret Chan said:

“These new figures are a wake-up call for all countries to re-think their approaches to mental health and to treat it with the urgency it deserves … For someone living with depression, talking to a person they trust is often the first step towards treatment and recovery.”

Unfortunately, the importance of strategies such as optimizing your vitamin D and gut health for the maintenance of mental and emotional stability is still frequently ignored. Exercise is another widely overlooked remedy that would do far more good than any drug ever will. Below, I’ll review these and other common sense treatment alternatives for depression.

With that said, if you are feeling desperate or have any thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, a toll-free number, at 1 (800) 273-TALK (8255), or call 911, or simply go to your nearest hospital emergency department.

Suicide Rates in US Hit 30-Year High

In the U.S., suicide rates have steadily risen since 2000, primarily in more rural areas — a trend blamed on the effects of social isolation, economic pressures, opioid addiction and limited access to mental health care.

The suicide rate among men is four times that of women, with the highest rates among 35- to 64-year-olds, and those over 75.

Sadly, suicide has also risen sharply among young teens, and antidepressants may play a role in some of these cases. Many antidepressants are known to increase the risk of suicide in children, teens and young adults, yet despite such warnings, these drugs are still often prescribed for younger people.

Why Do So Many Veterinarians Commit Suicide?

Curiously, veterinarians have a surprisingly high rate of suicide. According to a 2014 survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1 in 6 American veterinarians have contemplated suicide. As reported by The Boston Globe:

“Veterinarians suffer from feelings of hopelessness, depression and other psychiatric disorders two to three times more often than the general population.

Two studies published in the British Veterinarian Association’s journal … found suicide rates are double or more those of dentists and doctors, and four to six times higher than the general population.”

Reasons for the high rate of suicide among veterinarians appear to be a combination of financial struggles and having to make difficult life-and-death decisions on a regular basis. Dealing with all-too-human pet owners also appear to be part of what drive veterinarians over the edge.

Dr. Stephanie Kube, a veterinary neurologist and pain pathologist at Veterinary Neurology and Pain Management Center of New England, told the Globe:

“Most of our clients are awesome, and we love them. But all sorts of people have pets. Some adopt or rescue pets who can’t take care of them. Some want healthy pets put down.

Some pet owners have emotional disabilities. Some are too financially strapped to pay for veterinary care. And some think vets will do everything for free, because we love animals.”

Financial Struggles, Grief and Guilt Can Be Deadly

Veterinary school costs as much or more than regular medical school, yet veterinarians have only one-third of the earning potential of most doctors and dentists, making financial strain a long-term reality for most veterinarians. Add to that the hostility of pet owners upset about the cost of their animal’s care.

Veterinarians are also forced to process death, grief and guilt on a regular basis. Each year, an estimated 3 million cats and dogs are euthanized for one reason or another. Neglect and abuse must also be faced far more frequently when you’re a veterinarian. NPR shared the following story:

“Once someone brought in a dog with a bone tumor in its leg. To relieve the pet’s pain, a staff member at Magnifico’s clinic advised that the limb be amputated. But the owner declined the procedure, tied the dog to a tree in front of the clinic, and left.

Sometimes clients ask for convenience euthanasia. Other times, owners threaten to kill the pet themselves. In those cases, the people at the end of the leash cause the most distress for animal shelter and clinic employees.”

Pressed for time, many veterinarians also feel guilty about not being able to offer adequate support to grieving pet owners. As noted by the Globe:

“When these stresses combine with long working hours and on-call pressures, it’s easy to see how anyone could melt down. And because vets can offer gentle deaths to their patients with euthanasia, they may see death as a way out of pain. All of them have easy access to drugs that can kill.”

Non-Drug Solutions for Depression:

Addressing your nutrition is perhaps the best place to start if you’re feeling depressed. Foods have an immense impact on your brain, and eating whole foods as described in my nutrition plan will best support your mental and physical health. Avoiding processed foods, sugar (particularly fructose) and grains is particularly important as it will help normalize your insulin and leptin levels, which is an important contributing factor to depression.

Certain nutrients are also known to cause symptoms of depression when lacking, and specific herbs and nutritional supplements may also help counteract symptoms. To suggest that depression is rooted in nutrient deficiencies and other lifestyle related factors does not detract from the fact that it’s a serious problem that needs to be addressed with compassion and non-judgment.

It simply shifts the conversation about what the most appropriate answers and remedies are. The following nutrients, herbs and supplements have been shown to be particularly helpful:

Vitamin D / Sun exposure

Many studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency can predispose you to depression, and that depression can respond favorably to optimizing your vitamin D stores, ideally by getting regular, sensible sun exposure.

In one such study, people with a vitamin D level below 20 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) had an 85 percent increased risk of depression compared to those with a level greater than 30 ng/mL.

Omega-3 fat

The animal-based omega-3 fat docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is perhaps the single most important nutrient for optimal brain function, thereby preventing depression. While you can obtain DHA from krill or fish oil, it is far better to obtain it from clean fish like wild Alaskan salmon, sardines, herring, anchovies and fish roe.

Low DHA levels have been linked to depression, memory loss, schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Folate (vitamin B9) and other B vitamins

Low dietary folate is a risk factor for severe depression, raising your risk by as much as 300 percent. If you’re using a supplement, I suggest methylfolate, as this form of folic acid is the most effective.

Other B vitamin deficiencies, including B1, B2, B3, B6, B8 and B12 also have the ability to produce symptoms of neuropsychiatric disorders. Vitamin B12 deficiency, in particular, can contribute to depression and affects 1 in 4 people.

Antioxidant-rich foods

Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables is associated with lower odds of depression and anxiety, an effect ascribed to antioxidants that help combat inflammation in your body. Chronic inflammation is thought to be one of the primary causes of depression.

St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum)

This medicinal plant has a long historical use for depression, and is thought to work similarly to antidepressants, raising brain chemicals associated with mood such as serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline.

S-Adenosyl methionine (SAMe)

SAMe is an amino acid derivative that occurs naturally in all cells. It plays a role in many biological reactions by transferring its methyl group to DNA, proteins, phospholipids and biogenic amines. Several scientific studies indicate that SAMe may be useful in the treatment of depression.

5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP)

5-HTP is another natural alternative to traditional antidepressants. When your body sets about manufacturing serotonin, it first makes 5-HTP. Taking 5-HTP as a supplement may raise serotonin levels. Evidence suggests 5-HTP outperforms a placebo when it comes to alleviating depression, which is more than can be said about antidepressants.

XingPiJieYu

This Chinese herb, available from doctors of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has been found to reduce the effects of “chronic and unpredictable stress,” thereby lowering your risk of depression.

Prebiotics and probiotics

Your mental health is closely linked to your gut health. A number of studies have confirmed chronic inflammation, and especially gastrointestinal inflammation, can play a critical role in the development of depression. In fact, researchers have suggested “depression may be a neuropsychiatric manifestation of a chronic inflammatory syndrome.”

Your gut is considered to be your second brain, created from the identical tissue as your brain during gestation. It’s important to understand that your gut bacteria are an active and integrated part of serotonin regulation and actually produce more serotonin than your brain.

Optimizing your gut flora is a key part of the equation to optimize your serotonin levels. Gut bacteria also play a role in GABA regulation, and lower the stress-induced hormone corticosterone, resulting in reduced anxiety and depression related behavior.

To nourish your gut microbiome, be sure to eat plenty of fresh vegetables and traditionally fermented foods. Healthy choices include fermented vegetables, lassi, kefir and natto. If you do not eat fermented foods on a regular basis, taking a high-quality probiotic supplement is recommended.

Also remember to severely limit sugars, especially fructose, as well as grains, to rebalance your gut flora. As a standard recommendation, I suggest limiting your daily fructose consumption from all sources to 25 grams per day or less.

Evaluate your salt intake

Sodium deficiency creates symptoms that are very much like those of depression. Make sure you do not use processed salt (regular table salt), however. You’ll want to use an all-natural, unprocessed salt like Himalayan salt, which contains more than 80 different micronutrients.

Make sure your cholesterol levels aren’t too low for optimal mental health

Low cholesterol is linked to dramatically increased rates of suicide, as well as aggression toward others. This increased expression of violence toward self and others may be due to the fact that low membrane cholesterol decreases the number of serotonin receptors in the brain, which are approximately 30 percent cholesterol by weight.

Lower serum cholesterol concentrations therefore may contribute to decreasing brain serotonin, which not only contributes to suicidal-associated depression, but prevents the suppression of aggressive behavior and violence towards self and others.

Other Lifestyle Factors That Can Greatly Impact Your Risk for Depression:

The following lifestyle factors can also play a significant role in depression.