By Melissa Quinn, MD
Marcia (not her real name) sat across from me in my office at Amen Clinics in Los Angeles. She felt good about the tremendous gains she had made in terms of her mood stability, sleep patterns, and anxiety level. Yet, according to her family, she remained short-tempered and easily irritated.
She’d been prescribed nearly every combination of medications but had experienced significant side effects on many of them. After I ordered genetic testing for her, we were finally on the right track.
When I suggested adding lithium orotate as part of her wellness plan, she looked at me stunned. Having a doctor recommend lithium brought up feelings of fear and confusion for Marcia. These sentiments are understandable, given that prescription lithium has significant risks, including hand tremors, increased urination, hair thinning, decreased thyroid function (over time), and more.
Lithium has been approved for the treatment of bipolar disorder and may also be helpful when prescribed “off-label” for conditions, such as treatment-resistant depression with suicidal thinking. When treating these illnesses, dosages of lithium can reach 1,800mg daily.
The supplement lithium orotate, however, contains much smaller quantities of lithium than the prescription form, generally ranging from 5mg to 10mg daily and in some cases, up to 20mg daily. Some clinicians are skeptical that such a low dosage can provide much support, but many clients have reported feeling benefits.
Here’s some background on lithium orotate and some examples of how clinicians are using it. Lithium orotate is an over-the-counter nutraceutical that consists of orotic acid (a compound produced naturally in the body) and lithium (an alkali metal). Lithium is present in the diet, mainly in grains and vegetables, which is why the supplement is often called “nutritional lithium.”
In fact, lithium is so important to our health that it has been added to the World Health Organization’s list of nutritionally essential trace elements. The orotate compound is important because it delivers the lithium in its bioactive form so your body can absorb it.
Lithium is found in the drinking water in many cities, and research shows that there is an association of lowered incidence of crimes, suicides, and arrests related to drug addictions in these areas. Some researchers are even suggesting we should put lithium in drinking water as a way to reduce suicide. The research indicates that lithium at a low dosage has a beneficial effect on behavior.
Prescription-strength lithium is regarded as a neuroprotective agent. It’s being studied in certain neurodegenerative disorders, namely, Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Parkinson’s disease. It’s been shown to disrupt glycogen synthase kinase-3, a key enzyme responsible for the development of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles associated with Alzheimer’s disease. A study in the 2015 issue of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease concluded that lithium treatment may have beneficial effects on cognitive performance in people with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease.
Findings suggest that the supplement lithium orotate can promote a positive mood and supports cognitive function in the elderly.
Clinicians should be aware of the very important differences between full-dose prescription lithium and the low-dose supplement lithium orotate. When recommended appropriately, the supplement can be a beneficial addition to the clinical toolbox.
Dr. Melissa Quinn is a psychiatrist who is double board-certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Her passion is to help people heal, get psychologically well, find the relief they deserve, and help them to become the best version of themselves. She helps children, adolescents, adults, and families get their lives back on track with a whole-person—and when appropriate—a whole-family approach. By developing her clients’ inner strengths, she shows them how to reach their highest potential.
She knows that people are seeking a range of solutions for prevention, health, and healing. As a result, Dr. Quinn became passionate about learning integrative approaches and was subsequently board-certified in Integrative and Holistic Medicine through The Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine. She later went on to peruse a fellowship in Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) through Duke University. She enjoys working with a variety of clients, but she specializes in working with patients with ADHD, developmental and intellectual delays, anxiety, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and mood disorders.
Did you know that up to two-thirds of people who suffer from depression don’t find relief from the first antidepressant they try? And even after four courses of antidepressants, one-third of people with depressive symptoms still don’t get better? Neuroimaging and AI may be able to change that, according to a pair of recent studies in the American Journal of Psychiatry and Nature Human Behavior.
The new research from scientists at UT Southwestern shows that brain imaging can identify activity patterns in the brain that indicate if a person is likely to respond to a certain medication. The two studies are part of a national trial called EMBARC that is working to establish better ways to treat depression based on objective, biological evidence. They are hoping it will lead to less trial and error and more targeted, effective treatment.
“We need to end the guessing game and find objective measures for prescribing interventions that will work,” said Dr. Madhukar Trivedi, who oversees EMBARC and is founding Director of UT Southwestern’s Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care.
The scientists are looking forward to a day when brain imaging, blood testing, and genetic testing will be standard practice in selecting a treatment plan for major depressive disorder.
In the two new studies, which each involved over 300 participants, imaging tests measured brain activity at rest and during emotional processing. While in the brain scanners, study participants viewed photographs of angry or happy faces that were labeled with words that they had to read aloud. What made this tricky is that the words didn’t always match the emotion shown in the image. For example, a happy face might have had “Fear” written on it.
The researchers used AI to observe activity throughout the entire brain rather than just the emotional centers of the brain. The results found that people who had abnormal activity in the prefrontal cortex (an area involved in judgment, planning, and focus) were less likely to respond to treatment with SSRIs, a common type of antidepressant.
These studies further validate the use of neuroimaging in finding the best solutions for depression.
People with treatment-resistant depression who aren’t responding to antidepressants don’t need to wait for this type of technology to help them find the most effective solutions. Amen Clinics, with 8 locations nationwide, has been using brain SPECT imaging for 30 years, as well as lab testing, genetic testing, and a deep dive into the other areas of your life that might contribute to depressive symptoms.
The brain imaging work at Amen Clinics has identified 7 different types of depression and anxiety based on brain patterns. This helps explain why taking a “one-size-fits-all” approach to depression treatment will never work.
“Think of your brain patterns as a fingerprint,” said Dr. Jay Faber of Amen Clinics on CBS News, when asked about the new brain imaging and depression studies. “Everybody has their unique signature.”
When developing a patient’s treatment plan, the Amen Clinics Method takes those specific brain patterns into consideration, along with all the other factors that influence depression. And according to Dr. Faber, when patients who weren’t having a good response to antidepressants have a SPECT scan and are treated based on their brain patterns and other diagnostic information, “up to 78 to 80% are better.”
What Amen Clinics and these new studies out of UT Southwestern show are that neuroimaging is the future of psychiatry. While most psychiatric clinics are still years away from incorporating this technology into their clinical practice, at Amen Clinics, the future is now.
If you’re suffering from depression and aren’t getting relief, take advantage of the next-generation diagnostic testing available at Amen Clinics. We use brain SPECT imaging, as well as blood testing, genetic testing, and a comprehensive 4-circle approach that looks at all the biological, psychological, social, and spiritual factors that can contribute to depression symptoms. Based on all of this valuable information, we can create a targeted, personalized treatment plan that includes the least toxic, most effective solutions for your needs.
To learn more or to schedule your comprehensive evaluation, please visit us online or call 888-288-9834.
After being a psychiatrist for over 30 years, I have come to hate the terms “mental illness” and “psychiatric disorders,” and you should too.
Here’s why.
Mental illness and psychiatric disorders conjure up stigmatizing images of lunacy in people who are mad, disturbed, unbalanced, or unstable, even though these adjectives apply to an extremely small percentage of people who struggle with mental health issues.
Being diagnosed with a mental illness or a psychiatric disorder insidiously taints or stains everyone who struggles with perceived issues of the mind, making them less likely to ever want to seek help for fear they’ll be diminished in the eyes of others.
By labeling these issues as mental health or psychiatric, people suffer in silence because of the shame they feel. Consider the rash of celebrity suicides of people who were too embarrassed or ashamed to ask for help (from Ernest Hemingway, Judy Garland, and Junior Seau to Robin Williams, Mindy McCready, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Anthony Bourdain). On the outside, they seemed like they had everything; on the inside, they were suffering.
If we do not erase—or at least lower—the stigma for these issues, many more people will unnecessarily suffer and die without getting the help they need.
But things are changing. We are now on the cusp of a new revolution that will change mental health care forever.
My new book, The End of Mental Illness, discards an outdated, stigmatizing paradigm that taints people with disparaging labels, preventing them from getting the help they need and replaces it with a modern brain-based, whole-person program rooted in neuroscience and hope.
No one is shamed for cancer, diabetes, or heart disease, even though they have significant lifestyle contributions. Likewise, no one should be shamed for depression, panic disorders, bipolar disorder, addictions, schizophrenia, and other brain health issues.
Over the last 30 years, my colleagues and I have built the world’s largest database of brain scans related to behavior. We have performed more than 160,000 brain SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) scans, which measure blood flow and activity patterns, and over 10,000 quantitative electroencephalograms (QEEGs), which measure electrical activity, on patients from 9 months old to 105 years old from 121 countries.
Based on our brain imaging work, it has become crystal clear to us that, as psychiatrists, we are not dealing with mental health issues, but we are dealing with brain health issues. And this one idea has changed everything we do to help our patients.
Brain imaging has completely disrupted how we help our patients get well, and this information can help you, even if no one ever looks at your brain. The human brain is an organ just like your heart and all your other organs, and you can only be as mentally healthy as your brain is functionally healthy.
Fortunately, you are not stuck with the brain you have. You can change your brain and make it better.
The End of Mental Illness is written by psychiatrist, neuroscientist, and brain health expert Dr. Daniel Amen and relies on the latest neuroscience and leading-edge brain imaging to show that mental health is really brain health. In The End of Mental Illness, he reveals the 11 risk factors that can harm your brain health and create “mental health” problems. And he shares the proven strategies he has learned after 30-plus years of clinical practice that will help you minimize your risk factors, enhance brain health, and end mental illness. Order your copy today.
If you’re struggling with anxiety, depression, ADD/ADHD, or other conditions, understand that optimizing underlying brain health is the key to getting well. At Amen Clinics, we use brain SPECT imaging to help identify brain problems and areas that need optimization and to create a personalized treatment plan.
If you want to join the tens of thousands of people who have already enhanced their brain health and overcome their symptoms at Amen Clinics, speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
The holidays are supposed to be the most joyous time of the year to spend with family. But not everybody has one of those perfect Hallmark families. For some people, the holidays are filled with drama, chaos, and arguments, and the mere idea of heading home triggers painful memories and emotional distress.
Jenna hated going home for Christmas, and she started stressing about it weeks before her annual trip. She was a successful attorney with a nice condo and lots of friends, and she thoroughly enjoyed her life. But it was never good enough for her parents. As soon as Jenna walked through the door of her childhood home, her mother would start up with the needling questions: Why aren’t you married yet? Am I ever going to have grandkids? Did you gain weight again?
Her dad was even worse. He always drank too much and then start yelling at everyone. For Jenna, this triggered traumatic memories of Dad punching his fist through a wall when she hadn’t graduated as class Valedictorian, of him shaking her mother violently when they had shouting matches, and of him throwing a plate of mashed potatoes at the wall one Christmas day when she was just a kid.
Back in this toxic family environment, Jenna’s self-confidence and joie de vivre would immediately start to plummet, and she would revert back to the anxious, depressed, scared child she used to be.
She isn’t alone.
The holidays can be less than merry for many people. For those who suffered trauma or abuse as a child, family festivities can cause old emotional wounds to surface. People who are struggling with alcohol abuse may have trouble staying sober when there is so much focus on holiday cocktails. Anyone with an eating disorder may feel the familiar urges to binge or purge when faced with holiday meals. And individuals who have anxiety or depression may find that their symptoms intensify when the holiday season approaches.
Aside from family feuds and underlying mental health issues, there are many factors that contribute to seasonal struggles. With a little planning, however, you can overcome these holiday hazards for a more joyous season.
Buying gifts, hosting lavish feasts, decorating—there’s a lot that goes into making the holiday season perfect. All of this added stress can take a toll on brain health and lead to increased vulnerability to mental health symptoms.
Holiday Helper: Stay grounded with a few minutes of daily meditation or prayer and don’t take on more projects than you can handle.
The excitement of the season and holiday parties often lead to less shut-eye and more disrupted sleep. When you aren’t getting your usual 7-8 hours a night, it impacts your moods and cognitive function. Just one night of bad sleep can leave you in a brain fog and make you more irritable, anxious, and depressed.
Holiday Helper: Stick to your sleep schedule as much as possible.
Sold-out flights, overcrowded airports, and jam-packed highways can mess with your mental well-being.
Holiday Helper: Leave early for your destination, bring some soothing music, and give yourself an attitude adjustment. Put yourself in a “We’ll get there when we get there” mindset.
Starting in October, it’s like there’s a free-for-all in the food department. People toss out all their good eating habits and dive into unhealthy dishes that leave you feeling spacy, fatigued, and bloated. The food you eat has an almost immediate effect on your brain function and giving in to cravings around the holidays lowers your ability to handle stress and family drama.
Holiday Helper: If you know that your family is going to be feasting on unhealthy foods, bring some good-for-you snacks with you or offer to prepare a few brain healthy side dishes for the festivities. And if you are going to indulge in something decadent, follow the 3-bite rule.
Alcohol lowers activity in the brain’s prefrontal cortex, the area involved in judgment, forethought, and impulse control. Boozing it up at holiday parties or family gatherings sets the scene for drama and discord.
Holiday Helper: To avoid drinking altogether, volunteer to be the designated driver or ask the bartender or host for a non-alcoholic drink that looks festive. If you are going to drink, set a limit and be sure to eat something beforehand to minimize the effects of alcohol.
Sitting on the couch watching football with your extended family drains your energy and deprives you of the feel-good endorphins you get when you get your blood pumping with exercise.
Holiday Helper: Start your day with a morning walk or suggest playing a game of touch football (never tackle football!) during halftime.
If you dread the holidays and need help coping with the emotions that surface, Amen Clinics can help. If you want to join the tens of thousands of people who have already enhanced their brain health and overcome their symptoms at Amen Clinics, speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
Too many people give themselves excuses to stay sick, unhappy, and anxious. You may be one of them. You may say you want to make the changes necessary to boost your brain health and overcome depression or anxiety, but you don’t do it. It’s these excuses—or “little lies”—you tell yourself that keep you feeling bad and prevent you from doing what you need to do to gain control of your life and start feeling better.
Here are the most common little lies psychiatrists hear from their patients that devastate their physical and mental health. Be honest with yourself and take note if you’re lying to yourself about your willingness to change to improve your brain health and mental health.
Truth: Focusing on getting well is dramatically easier than being sick or losing your mind. The brain hates change. It likes to do what it has done. The exciting news is that you can change unwanted behaviors. Initially, change is hard, but with the right attitude and strategies, it can be very rewarding.
Practicing good behaviors, such as getting 7-8 hours of sleep, exercising, and saying no to constantly checking your social media feed (which has been shown to increase depression and loneliness) strengthens the willpower circuits in the brain. Alternatively, giving in to destructive behaviors, such as emotional explosions, mindlessly eating cookies at work, believing every stupid thought that pops into your head, or consuming excessive amounts of alcohol strengthens those particular circuits. Whatever behaviors you engage in are the ones you are likely to continue doing.
Truth: So many people with anxiety or depression use food, alcohol, cigarettes, or marijuana as a way to self-medicate their feelings, and they don’t want to deprive themselves of these short-term mood enhancers. But these substances actually make symptoms worse in the long run, and they lead to other issues, such as weight gain and addiction, that can exacerbate problems in every area of your life.
When you make poor health decisions you are depriving yourself of what you really want—lasting energy, happiness, a sense of calm, and good health. Getting well is about abundance, never deprivation. Eating a brain-healthy diet and avoiding harmful substances will help to deprive you of mood swings, panic attacks, depression, and even dementia.
When your mindset is one of deprivation and your focus is on what you cannot have, you’re more likely to remain mired in anxiety and depression. To feel better fast and make it last for a lifetime it’s critical to develop an abundance mindset, where you focus on the high-quality foods and good habits that will build and sustain your mental health. If you’re able to change your attitude about this, everything else will be easier.
Truth: Buying high-quality foods that fuel the brain and stabilize blood sugar, paying for exercise classes that boost blood flow to the brain, and seeking treatment for your mental health issues may seem pricey. But being sick is much more expensive than thoughtfully spending your resources to get and stay well.
With a better functioning brain, you will have more money, because the quality of your decisions will be better, which means you’ll perform better at work, at school, and in your relationships.
Truth: You may think that finding time to exercise, prepare healthy meals, and practice stress-management strategies like meditation is impossible. Sure, grabbing a doughnut or ordering takeout burritos or deep-fried wings provides a speedy meal, but it’s just as fast to grab an apple or orange or to order takeout salad bowls—and they will help you feel better and stay healthier.
It takes some planning to eat food that is good for you, but healthy meal kits or spending just one afternoon a week making big batches of food you can eat throughout the week can make daily meals a breeze. And you can find ways to sneak exercise into your day by taking your dog for a hike or walking to the grocery store. And you may want to trade just 15 minutes of TV time for a soothing meditation session.
Plus, spending time and energy to optimize your brain will help you live longer and be cognitively sharper, giving you much more time overall.
Truth: This is the gateway thought of continuing anxiety and depression. It is generally an excuse to justify doing the wrong thing for your physical and mental health. “Just a little can’t hurt” leads to just one cigarette that lowers blood flow to the brain, just one piece of cake that sets you up for mood swings, and just one drink that worsens anxiety and depression.
Stop lying to yourself. You deserve the truth.
If you’re struggling with anxiety or depression and are having trouble changing your habits, Amen Clinics can help. We use brain SPECT imaging as part of a comprehensive evaluation to see if there are any other signs of brain dysfunction that might be holding you back from being able to follow through on your goals. The Amen Clinics Method takes an integrative approach to diagnosis and treatment includes looking at the biological, psychological, social, and spiritual aspects of your life to identify areas that can be optimized so you can start feeling better fast.
Take the first important step to a better life and call 888-288-9834 to talk to a specialist today or schedule a visit.
When a loved one attempts suicide or dies by suicide, it may make you desperate to find the reason why. But suicide is incredibly complex, and there are no simple answers.
Consider Jesse, who was just 14 when she was admitted to the hospital after a suicide attempt. On the surface, it seemed that she had tried to take her own life because she had a terrible fight with her mother that night. Jesse had been doing poorly in school and couldn’t keep up academically with her friends, and her mother had berated her for it. But the real story went much deeper.
Jesse had a family history of depression on her father’s side, and her mother had many ADD/ADHD symptoms (although she refused to be evaluated and treated for it). Jesse felt sad and had a tendency to look at the negative side of things. She was also disorganized, had lifelong trouble focusing on her schoolwork, and was impulsive. She was diagnosed with depression and ADD/ADHD.
A brain imaging study showed that Jesse had increased activity in the brain’s limbic system (an area involved in setting a person’s emotional tone) as well as decreased activity in her prefrontal cortex (an area involved in impulse control and judgment). This brain pattern made her more vulnerable to suicide.
Brain SPECT imaging studies reveal underlying brain abnormalities in people who have suicidal thoughts or attempts. Amen Clinics has performed brain scans on more than 300 people who have made a suicide attempt and on far more who have considered taking their own life. Most of these individuals possessed some combination of the following traits—impulsiveness, negative thinking patterns, flashes of irritability or anger, and a lack of good judgment. For Jesse, it was the swirling negative thoughts, impulsivity, and poor judgment combined with life stressors that put her at increased risk.
Imaging studies reveal that people with suicidal thoughts and behavior often have the following brain abnormalities:
Concussions and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)—even mild ones that don’t cause you to blackout—increase the risk of suicide. Falling off a bike, getting in a car accident, or falling off a ladder can cause dramatic changes in brain function that increase anxiety, depression, impulsivity, anger, poor decision-making, and substance abuse—all of which make a person more likely to contemplate suicide. At Amen Clinics, 40% of patients have experienced head trauma, but many of them don’t remember it.
Brain SPECT imaging studies show that abnormalities in the temporal lobes—and especially in the left temporal lobe—are common in people with suicidal thoughts and behavior. In a study performed at Amen Clinics, left temporal lobe problems were present in 62% of people who seriously thought about taking their own life or who made a suicide attempt.
Low blood flow in the PFC, which is associated with impaired decision-making, impulse control, and judgment, is commonly seen in suicidal people. Anything that lowers PFC activity can increase the risk of suicide in those who are already vulnerable. For example, alcohol lowers activity in the PFC, and a study in BMJ found that22% of suicide victims were drunk at the time of their death.
The ACG is the brain’s gear shifter and helps you go from thought to thought. When there is too much activity in this area, however, people have a tendency to get stuck on negative thoughts, which is one of the traits seen in people with suicidal thoughts and behavior.
To help prevent suicide, it’s critical to healing underlying brain dysfunction. For Jesse, that included medication for her impulsivity and poor judgment, and psychotherapy to help her learn to change her negative thinking patterns. Over several months, her condition improved significantly. Her mood was better. School was easier for her. She had better frustration tolerance and impulse control. Her initial weekly visits after she left the hospital turned into every 2 weeks and then monthly by the end of the first year, and she maintained good stability.
Healing her brain helped save her life. The best way to prevent suicide or help someone after a suicide attempt is to help them heal their brain.
If you are having suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
At Amen Clinics, we have treated hundreds of people who have attempted suicide, including Jesse. We use brain SPECT imaging to help identify underlying brain abnormalities that increase the risk of suicide and offer personalized treatment plans to optimize the brain and lead to a happier, healthier outlook on life.
If you or a loved one is experiencing suicidal tendencies and would like more information on how to heal your brain and save a life, call us at 888-288-9834 or schedule a visit online.
About 75% of the body’s neurotransmitters are produced in the gastrointestinal tract, and they are in direct communication with the brain. Because of this, the health of your gut—and the trillions of bacteria that live there—is tightly linked to your brain function and your mental health. New research suggests gut bacteria is so powerful it could be used to treat clinical depression.
Some gut bacteria are beneficial to your health and well-being while others are harmful. And in a classic good guy vs. bad guy scenario, they are all trying to wrestle for control of your microbiome. When the ratio of good bugs to bad bugs is about 85 percent good guys to 15 percent troublemakers, it creates a healthy gut. When the ratio is tipped the other way, the bad bugs cause trouble and can lead to physical and mental problems.
If the good bugs are deficient, you are more likely to feel anxious, stressed, depressed, and tired. New research has also found a gut-brain link in autism.
In some people, imbalances in gut bacteria contribute to the lining of the gastrointestinal tract becoming porous. Known as leaky gut, this condition is associated with mood and anxiety disorders, ADD/ADHD, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s disease. Leaky gut is also linked to chronic inflammation, along with a host of other issues from autoimmune diseases (such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, and multiple sclerosis) and digestive issues (gas, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea) to seasonal allergies and skin problems (acne, rosacea).
Researchers at Northeastern University have long been investigating the link between gut bacteria and mental health, and in particular, to clinical depression. For a 2018 study, they teamed up with researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College to take a deeper dive into the connection. They took brain scans as well as fecal samples from people who had been diagnosed with depression and discovered that people with brain patterns associated with depression had fewer bacteria of a particular genus called Bacteroides.
These bacteria produce the neurotransmitter GABA, which helps calm the brain and prevent it from over-firing. People with low levels of GABA are more likely to struggle with depression, anxiety, stress, and insomnia.
The researchers suggest this opens up the possibility of treating depression with the bacteria that produce GABA. The idea of manipulating gut health to promote better mental health is still in its infancy, however, this isn’t the first time that scientists have pointed to gut bacteria as a possible therapy for depression.
In a 2011 trial, when mice ingested specific bacteria, it increased GABA levels and decreased behaviors associated with depression and anxiety. And back in 2005, a study in Medical Hypotheses suggested that probiotics—live bacteria found in some foods, like yogurt, and in supplements—may be beneficial as part of a comprehensive treatment plan for major depressive disorder.
Until bacteria therapies are developed, there are many things you can do to promote better gut health, including the following:
Alcohol is used to clean your skin of bacteria before you receive an injection and as a preservative for scientific specimens. It’s hard to imagine that it can be good for the 100 trillion bugs living in your gut that are essential to your life.
Consuming too much sugar promotes an overgrowth of yeast (bad bugs) in your gut.
Dietary fiber that promotes good bugs can be found in apples, beans, cabbage, psyllium, artichokes, onions, leeks, asparagus, and root vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, yams, squash, jicama, beets, carrots, and turnips.
If you’re suffering from depression and aren’t responding to treatment, it may be time to think about your gut health. At Amen Clinics, we have helped thousands of patients overcome depressive symptoms with a personalized treatment plan that includes addressing gut health and nutrition.
Amen Clinics takes the guesswork out of psychiatry by performing comprehensive brain-body evaluations that include looking at a variety of biological issues that contribute to symptoms of depression. Schedule a visit online or call 888-288-9834 to speak to a specialist.
When young adults head to college, they sometimes worry about the dreaded “Freshman 15″—the 15 (or more) pounds new students often pack on during their first year in school. But there is something far more worrisome than going up a pant size.
Did you know that many serious mental health conditions begin during young adulthood? The age of onset for bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, substance use disorders, eating disorders, psychosis, and suicidal thoughts and behavior is common in the late teens or early 20s—a time when many students are entering college. In fact, 75% of mental health conditions start by age 24, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
And the numbers are getting worse. In 2017, teens and young adults in the U.S. were more prone to depression, distress, and suicide compared with Millennials when they were the same age.
What is the connection between college and mental illness?
The human brain is not finished developing until age 25 for females, and closer to age 28 for males. A process called myelinization is still underway. With this process, brain cells are coated with a protective sheath that increases the brain’s processing speeds. The process starts at the back of the brain and works forward, making the front part of the brain—the prefrontal cortex that is involved in focus, planning, decision-making, judgment, and follow-through—the last area to gain the protective covering.
Because of this, young people need supervision until their brains have matured and they can supervise themselves. Throwing young adults into an environment where they no longer have parental supervision when their brains have yet to fully develop invites risky behavior and poor habits that may contribute to mental health issues.
The last years of high school and the first years of college can be extremely stressful. And stress can wreak havoc on brain health. Dealing with challenging life circumstances—such as starting college, moving, having new roommates—elevates stress hormone levels and makes people more vulnerable to many mental health conditions. Toxic stress has been associated with ADHD, learning disabilities, social anxiety, depression, alcohol and drug abuse, PTSD, and more.
Unfortunately, young people don’t learn about stress management skills in school. Learning how to deal with stress in a healthy way should be taught in elementary classes nationwide.
Cheesy pizza, bottomless cups of coffee or sodas, bags of chips, kegs of beer—the foods most college students eat zap brainpower and mess with your mental well-being. In 2015, a group of 18 scientists concluded that “the emerging and compelling evidence for nutrition as a crucial factor in the high prevalence and incidence of mental disorders suggests that diet is as important to psychiatry as it is to cardiology, endocrinology, and gastroenterology.”
The standard student diet is filled with pro-inflammatory, allergenic foods laced with artificial chemicals that will damage the brain and increase the risk for depression, ADHD, and anxiety disorders, as well as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, cancer, and even dementia.
While you are sleeping, your brain is hard at work performing some very critical functions necessary to keep it operating at optimal levels. For example, during sleep, your brain cleans or washes itself by eliminating cellular debris and toxins that build up during the day (basically taking out the neural trash), consolidates learning and memory, and prepares for the following day.
College students are notorious for pulling all-nighter study sessions and partying until dawn. It adds up to a sleep deficit that can take a toll on mental health. Over time, sleep problems can lead to a higher risk of mental health problems, including depression, ADHD, panic attacks, brain fog, memory problems, and dementia. For example, teenagers who on average get an hour less sleep at night were 38 percent more likely to feel sad and hopeless, 42 percent more likely to consider suicide, 58 percent more likely to attempt suicide, and 23 percent more likely to engage in substance abuse.
At Amen Clinics, we have helped thousands of struggling students overcome brain imbalances and mental health problems so they can be more successful at school and in life. Speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834 or schedule a visit online.
When you hear about bullying, you probably think about kids or teens getting teased or tormented at school. But did you know that bullying can also occur between adults in the office? And it’s more prevalent than you might think.
According to a survey by the Workplace Bullying Institute, 27% of employees say they’ve been bullied in the workplace, and 21% say they’ve witnessed bullying. The main culprits? Bosses are the most common workplace bullies. What’s really surprising is that 72% of employees get in on the act by denying it happened, downplaying it, rationalizing the behavioral problems, or even encouraging the perpetrator.
Is someone willfully sabotaging your performance, giving you unwanted and undeserved harsh criticism, spreading rumors about you, humiliating you in front of coworkers, or intentionally excluding you from work activities? You could be the victim of bullying.
Workplace bullying can take a toll. People who have been targeted by a bully in the workplace are at a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease, according to a 2019 study in European Heart Journal. with people complaining of headaches, nausea, insomnia, and burnout. Being targeted at work can also lead to anxiety and depression.
People who are victimized at the office can experience a variety of anxiety disorders that remain long after the intimidation has stopped. The main forms of anxiety that affect victims include:
Unfortunately, exhibiting anxious behavior makes victims more vulnerable to continued abuse, which compounds the problem, according to a 2015 study in Anxiety, Stress, and Coping: An International Journal.
Depression is another unwanted outcome of bullying at work. People who have been subjected to intimidating or aggressive behavior at work are more than twice as likely as their peers to develop the condition. Among those who have experienced frequent bullying? They’re 10 times more likely to become clinically depressed, according to a 2014 study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
Depression—which can drain your energy, make it hard for you to concentrate, and make you feel irritable and cranky—can prevent you from performing at your best on the job. This creates a downward spiral that can negatively impact your career and your life.
Every company has its own policies regarding bullying in the workplace. You may want to speak with someone in your HR department to discuss how to put an end to the behavior. But if your feelings of anxiety or depression are getting in the way of your daily life, or if the aggressive behavior has ended and you’re still reeling from its effects, it’s time to seek help.
At Amen Clinics, we have helped thousands of people learn to overcome feelings of anxiety and depression. The Amen Clinics Method takes an integrative approach to diagnosis and treatment that includes brain SPECT imaging as well as looking at the biological, psychological, social, and spiritual aspects of your life to identify areas that can be optimized.
If you want to stop suffering and start feeling better, call 888-288-9834 to talk to a specialist today or schedule a visit.
We get so many mixed messages about depression it can be difficult to separate what’s real from what’s bogus. When it comes to depression, however, believing the following myths can keep you mired in sadness, hopelessness, and despair and can prevent you from getting the help you need.
Fact: Since Prozac hit the market in 1987, antidepressant use among Americans has skyrocketed by 400% and over 1 in 10 Americans are currently popping a pill to try to ease their depression. But it isn’t always working. In fact, a 2014 study from researchers in the UK found that over 50% of depressed patients still experienced symptoms after being treated with antidepressants. And about one-third of people still felt blue after trying four different antidepressants.
Antidepressants should never be the first and only treatment for major depressive disorder. There are many natural ways to overcome symptoms, including nutritional supplements, neurofeedback, physical exercise, nutrition, ANT therapy (questioning negative thoughts), practicing gratitude and appreciation, surrounding yourself with people who provide positive bonding, and finding your purpose and passion.
Fact: The notion that you can shake off depression the way you might shake off feeling down after losing a point in tennis is flat-out wrong. You can’t will yourself to stop feeling depressed the same way you can’t will yourself to stop having diabetes, heart disease, or nearsightedness. Believing that you should be able to get over it through willpower alone sets you up to feel like a failure, which will only make depressive symptoms worse.
Fact: Women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression, but according to the National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated 6 million men suffer from the condition each year. Mood disorders like depression may be overlooked in men in part due to a lack of willingness to talk about their feelings as openly as women. In addition, males don’t always display the symptoms we typically associate with depression, such as sadness, fatigue, or hopelessness. Men are more apt to exhibit anger, aggression, and irritability or to engage in reckless behavior, such as substance abuse.
Myth: Men don’t get depressed. Fact: Women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression, but an estimated 6 million men suffer from the condition each year.Fact: Depression is not an imaginary illness, but it is in your head—in your brain. Brain imaging studies using a technology called SPECT show that people with depression tend to have abnormal activity in an area of the brain called the limbic system. Brain scans reveal that when there is too much activity in the limbic system, it is often correlated with a tendency toward negativity, chronic guilt, crying spells, and feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. In a SPECT study of more than 15,000 patients, researchers at Amen Clinics noted a significant correlation between increased activity in this brain region and self-reporting of symptoms of depression.
Fact: Stressful life events, such as the death of a loved one, marital problems, family dysfunction, financial difficulties, or health problems may lead to feelings of unhappiness, but they don’t always trigger depression. Many other things in life are associated with an increased risk of developing depressive symptoms. A family history of mood disorders, early childhood trauma, physical ailments, and substance abuse can increase the risk of developing depression. In addition, mild traumatic brain injuries are a major cause of depression that ruins people’s lives, but very few people knew about it… because only a handful of psychiatrists ever look at the brains of their patients.
Fact: Depression doesn’t discriminate. It can affect anyone—even people who are highly accomplished in their field. Doctors, professional athletes, and even major celebrities can struggle with the condition. Think of people like Kate Spade or Anthony Bourdain, who seemed to have it all but took their own lives. People who appear to have so much often think they don’t have a right to feel depressed. But no amount of material wealth or external validation can heal the emptiness you feel inside or balance abnormal brain activity. Treating the depression is the only way out of the darkness.
Fact: Based on brain imaging research, it is very clear that giving everyone with depression the same one-size-fits-all-treatment plan will never work. Antidepressants, for example, may help some people but can make others worse. This is because brain scans reveal that there are 7 types of depression, and each type has its own treatment needs. In addition, each person may have other factors contributing to their condition—such as hormonal dysfunction, gut imbalances, head injury, a poor diet—that need to be addressed. Finding a treatment plan that is tailored to your needs is the key to overcoming your symptoms.
Depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues can’t wait. At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer in-clinic brain scanning and appointments, as well as mental telehealth, clinical evaluations, and therapy for adults, teens, children, and couples. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834 or visit our contact page here.