6 Conditions That Feel Like Clinical Depression But
Aren’t
Therese Borchard
If a person went to his primary care physician and
complained of symptoms of fatigue, guilt, worthlessness, irritability, insomnia,
decreased appetite, loss of interest in regular activities, persistent
sadness, anxiety, and thoughts of suicide, I am pretty sure he would leave
that office
with a diagnosis of Major Depression Disorder (MDD)
and a prescription for sertraline (Zoloft), fluoxetine (Prozac), or another
popular Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI).
After all, the guy has just cataloged the classic
symptoms of clinical depression.
However, those same symptoms belong to a variety of other
conditions,
as well, that require treatments other than antidepressants and
psychotherapy,
the two pillars of conventional psychiatric recovery
today.
They may certainly look and feel like clinical depression
to the outsider, but they may require
just a small tweak
in diet or hormones. Here are six conditions that fall under that category.
1. Vitamin D
Deficiency
A good doctor will order blood work to see if a patient
is low on vitamin D before sending him
off with a prescription for fluoxetine (Prozac) because
so many of us are lacking adequate amounts of this critical vitamin. In fact,
according to a 2009 study published in the Archives of Internal
Medicine, as many as three-quarters of U.S. teens and adults are deficient.
Last year Canadian researchers performed
a systematic review and analysis of 14 studies
that revealed a close association between vitamin D
levels and depression. Researchers found
that low levels of vitamin D corresponded to depression
and increased odds for depression.
The best source of vitamin D is sunshine, but for those
of us with family histories of skin cancer,
we have to get it in small doses because sunscreens
prohibit the body from making vitamin D. Supplements are easy to find, but make
sure they are third-party tested.
Good brands are Prothera, Pure
Encapsulations, Douglas Labs, and Vital Nutrients.
I take drops of liquid vitamin D because it is absorbed
more easily that way.
2. Hypothyroidism
Another easily mistaken condition for clinical depression
is hypothyroidism. You feel exhausted, worthless, irritable, and incapable
of making a decision. Getting through each day without naps
is a major accomplishment. This one is especially tricky
because you can get your thyroid levels checked by an endocrinologist or
primary care physician, as I have done for eight years,
and walk away believing your thyroid is just fine.
Dena Trentini writes a brilliant blog about
this on her site, Hypothyroid Mom. One of the problems, she explains, is
that mainstream medicine relies on only one blood test, TSH, to diagnose
thyroid dysfunction and that can’t provide an accurate picture. Both she and I
were told our thyroids
were fine by conventional doctors, which is probably why
the Thyroid Federal International estimates there are up to 300 million people
worldwide suffering from thyroid dysfunction,
but only half are aware of their condition. Dena writes,
“Hypothyroidism, an underactive thyroid,
is one of the most undiagnosed, misdiagnosed, and
unrecognized health problems in the world.”
3. Low Blood Sugar
The best marriage advice I ever received was this:
when you are about to say something unkind to your
spouse, first check to see if you’re hungry.
Naturopathic doctor Peter Bongiorno explains the
mood-blood sugar connection
in his informative blog post, “Is There a Sugar
Monster Lurking Within You?” Hunger, he says,
is a primitive signal known to set off the stress
response in us. For people who are predisposed
to anxiety and depression, that stress manifests itself
as mood changes. “Triggered by drops
and fluctuations in blood sugar,” writes Bongiorno,
“anxiety and depression can manifest in people who are very sensitive and can
become chronic if food intake isn’t consistent. Humans are built
like all the other animals — and animals get very
unhappy when blood sugar is low.”
Folks who experience yo-yo blood sugar levels on a daily
basis are usually insulin resistant,
a precursor to diabetes type II. The Journal of
Orthomolecular Medicine shows 82 studies
that link insulin resistance with depression.
One study of 1,054 Finnish military male conscripts found that
moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms increased the risk for insulin
resistance
by almost three times. The good news is that with some
simple diet modifications —
eating low-carb, high-protein foods every few hours —
symptoms abate.
4. Dehydration
I forgot about this one until my son exhibited some
bizarre behavior last night and my husband and I realized he was dehydrated. We
go through this every summer. The problem with him
(and with most human beings) is that he waits until he is
thirsty to drink. By then dehydration
has already set
in. According to two studies conducted at the University of
Connecticut’s
Human Performance Laboratory, even mild dehydration can
alter a person’s mood.
“Our thirst sensation doesn’t really appear until we are
1 [percent] or 2 percent dehydrated.
By then dehydration is already setting in and starting to
impact how our mind and body perform,” explained Lawrence E. Armstrong, one of
the studies’ lead scientists and an international expert
on hydration. Apparently it didn’t matter if a person had
just walked for 40 minutes on a treadmill
or was sitting at rest, the cognitive effects from mild
dehydration were the same.
5. Food
Intolerances
Like most people, I used to think that food intolerance
caused unpleasant reactions like diarrhea, hives, or swelling. I would never
have associated a turkey sandwich with my suicidal thoughts. However, now I
catalog the questionable items that I eat or drink
(those containing traces of gluten or dairy) in my mood
journal in case I have a reaction.
After reading bestselling books “Grain Brain” by
David Perlmutter, M.D.
and “The Ultramind Solution” by Mark Hyman,
M.D., I realized that certain foods
can trigger inflammation in our bodies just like toxins
from the environment.
And while some people like my husband break out in hives,
other folks like me get sad and anxious and start making plans to exit this
earth. According to Hyman, these delayed reactions to food
or hidden allergens lead to “brain allergies,” allergic
reactions in the body
that cause inflammation in the brain.
6. Caffeine
Withdrawal
I’ll always remember my sister’s advice last summer when
I showed up to her Michigan farm shaking, crying, and unable to focus on a
conversation.
I was in the midst of a severe depressive episode.
One morning was especially bad. I tried to bring my coffee cup to my lips, but
my hands were quivering so much even that was difficult.
“The first thing I’d do is stop drinking that,” my sister
said, matter-of-factly, pointing to my coffee. “Even one cup is enough to give
me a panic attack,” she said.
Since she was my twin, with biogenetic similarities, I paid
attention.
Then I read “Caffeine Blues” by Stephen
Cherniske, M.S., who has certainly done his homework
on the matter and offers a compelling case for quitting
“America’s number one drug” for good.
It’s basic physics, really. What goes up must come down.
So that high you get after a shot
of espresso isn’t without its consequences. You just
don’t associate the anxiety and depression
you feel three hours later because you’re on to other
things. However, your body
going through withdrawal, and for those of us like my
sister and me who are chemically sensitive
to all amphetamine-like substances that raise dopamine
levels, that withdrawal translates to tears, shaking, panic attacks, and other
forms of suffering.
http://www.everydayhealth.com/columns/therese-borchard-sanity-break/6-conditions-that-feel-like-depression-but-arent/
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