Misdiagnosed The Secret Cause of Juan’s Depression and ADHD

JUAN’S STORY: A HIDDEN CAUSE OF MENTAL HEALTH SYMPTOMS

Juan had used stimulant medication to control his attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) since he was only 10 years old. As a child, he’d exhibited classic symptoms. He was easily distracted and had difficulty remaining seated or following instructions.

By the time he entered Amen Clinics as a 22-year-old pre-law college student, additional mental health symptoms were surfacing. Despite a high IQ, he was failing at school, struggling with depression, and experiencing suicidal thoughts for the first time ever.

Ritalin, his ADHD medication, improved his focus, but it also had major drawbacks, making Juan irritable, impatient, moody, and agitated. Even in Juan’s childhood, his mother noted these effects, but his family became resigned to his “grumpy” personality. He also experimented with alcohol abuse as an adolescent but quit when he was exhibiting noticeably aggressive behavior.

By college, he was having trouble sleeping. For his anxiety, now elevated due to his poor grades in school, he received a prescription for Xanax, but the medication caused memory problems.

At Amen Clinics, Juan’s SPECT scan showed overall low activity in his brain at rest, showing a toxic pattern that is unusual in someone so young. But, unlike in those with ADHD, activity improved with concentration. Why did his resting SPECT scan look so abnormal?

After ruling out possibilities like drug and alcohol use, environmental toxins, severe anemia, and a past history of oxygen deprivation (such as from a near drowning or heart attack), clinicians conducted an infectious disease panel.

Results revealed that Juan had been exposed to multiple infections in his past: Lyme, the Epstein Barr virus, Toxoplasma gondii, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and Human Herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6). Because both Lyme disease and HHV-6 compromise immune system function, Juan became more susceptible to other infections.

Infections that mimic ADHD and infections that mimic depression can send people down a troublesome path. Taking prescription drugs for these mental health issues doesn’t get to the root cause of the symptoms and may lead to other issues.

Ultimately, Juan simply needed to be treated for his infections while building a stronger immune system. After treatments, Juan enjoyed marked improvements in his mood, temper, focus, and grades. He was even able to discontinue his ADHD medication—and successfully received his law degree.

Related: Can Lyme Disease Change Your Personality?

CAN INFECTIONS CAUSE MENTAL HEALTH SYMPTOMS?

When it comes to possible hidden causes of mental illness, many culprits can contribute. One common correlation—often overlooked—exists between internal infections and mental health. From cancers and HIV/AIDS to allergies and autoimmune diseases, infections can trigger symptoms that mimic ADHD, depression, and more.

To understand the link between immunity, infections, and mental health, it’s important to review the functions of the immune system. This crucial system of the body defends against attackers, both internal and external. Through these attacks, it strengthens to better handle future threats.

External attackers could be bacteria, viruses, or parasites, while internal invaders include cancer cells. In addition to providing defense, the immune system regulates tolerance—for example, how well you handle potential environmental triggers, such as allergens.

Back in 2016, 33 scientists worldwide wrote an editorial in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease about how the medical community often overlooks infectious diseases as an underlying cause of cognitive issues. They cited more than 100 studies demonstrating that significant stress or other immune system suppressants can activate dormant viruses in the brain.

The field of psychiatry that studies the link between the immune system and mental health is still in relatively early development, but experts believe it shows promise. According to a 2021 article published in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity Health, scientists have long hypothesized a link between mental states and immune response.

Authors, citing research from 1985, noted that these speculations occurred long before the founding of psychoneuroimmunology, which is the area of research that studies these interactions. They added that in the previous decade, experts were increasingly exploring how to harness the immune system to improve psychiatric patients’ outcomes—an emerging field called immunopsychiatry.

THE LINK BETWEEN IMMUNITY AND MENTAL HEALTH

Immune disorders fall into one of five categories, all of which impact your brain health—and therefore your mental health:

1. Immunodeficiency disorders, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired autoimmune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), increase the risk for mental health conditions. For example, people with HIV are more likely to experience depression, anxiety, and cognitive disorders, including dementia.
2. Allergies such as hay fever, as well as asthma and eczema, can be more than irritating—they can be life-threatening. And a 2018 study of more than 186,000 people found that those with asthma, hay fever, and eczema were 66 percent more likely to develop mental disorders, compared with allergy-free participants. Multiple studies have also linked asthma to increased risk for mild cognitive impairment and dementia.

Related: What is Mild Cognitive Impairment?

3. Cancers such as leukemia and lymphomas directly affect the immune system, but any cancer can impact mental health. A 2023 article in Future Healthcare Journal noted that the prevalence of depression and anxiety among cancer patients has reached 20 percent and 10 percent, respectively. It also cited data that 35-40 percent of cancer patients have a diagnosable mental health disorder.
4. Autoimmune disorders occur when your immune system attacks your own tissues. Examples include MS, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Crohn’s disease, psoriasis, and type 1 diabetes. Having an autoimmune disease is associated with an increased risk for:

• Mood disorders
• Schizophrenia
• Bipolar disorder
• ADHD
• Dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease

5. Persistent, recurring infections may indicate a compromised immune system. Infectious illnesses include Lyme disease, streptococcus (strep throat), toxoplasmosis, syphilis, helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), HIV/AIDS, herpes, and more. These can lead to mental health problems such as mood disorders, as well as cognitive issues.

HOW TO STRENGTHEN YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM

Fortunately, illness does not always follow exposure to infectious diseases. Based on many factors—the strength of your immune system, the level of exposure, your stress levels, and your daily lifestyle habits—you may not get sick when exposed.

Here are some tips to keep your immune system strong:

1. Care for your immune system. Know your personal medical history and check the health of your immune system with blood tests. Watch for allergies, asthma, rashes, or repeated infections. Get tested for common infections—especially infectious diseases that affect the mind, such as:

• Lyme (Borrelia burgdorferi, the spirochete that causes Lyme disease)
• HIV/AIDS
• Syphilis
• Herpes simplex 1 and 2
• Cytomegalovirus
• Epstein Barr virus
• Toxoplasma gondii
• Helicobacter pylori
• Chlamydia pneumoniae
• Candidiasis

2. Avoid allergens and infections as much as possible. Try an elimination diet for 30 days. If you have a cat, avoid exposure to the parasite Toxoplasma gondii through proper handling and care. Wear gloves when gardening or handling soil and wash your hands thoroughly afterward. Avoid consuming raw or undercooked meat, raw cured meat, and unpasteurized milk.

Related: Is Your Cat Making You Crazy?

3. Adopt immune-enhancing habits. Boost your vitamin D. Lower your stress, as high stress levels can compromise your immune system and increase the risk for autoimmune diseases. Try diaphragmatic breathing, prayer, meditation, calming music, hypnosis, or watching a comedy to relax.
4. Take nutraceuticals to boost immunity. Everyone should take a multivitamin, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin D daily. An integrative practitioner can help you determine additional supplements and nutrients to further improve immunity, such as:

• Therapeutic mushrooms, including lion’s mane, shiitake, reishi, and Cordyceps
• Aged garlic
• Anthocyanins, found in fruit and vegetable extracts, blueberries, cranberries, and grapes
• Echinacea
• Omega-3 fatty acids
• Probiotics
• Turmeric
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin E
• Zinc

In this video, Dr. Eboni Cornish, Amen Clinics’ Functional Medicine Director for its Eastern division, shares the best supplements to promote a healthy immune system.

Click below to tune in: