Bipolar disorder is a lifelong, life-altering psychiatric disorder that normally appears in the late teens or young adulthood. Characterized by extreme mood changes, bipolar disorder, sometimes called manic-depression, is usually treated with a combination of antidepressant and antipsychotic medications. Because bipolar medications often have severe side effects, researchers have searched for nutritional treatment to correct possible deficiencies that cause or exacerbate the disorder. There's no proof that nutritional deficiencies cause bipolar disorder; ask your doctor before instituting nutritional therapies to treat the disorder.
Causes
Bipolar disease is a multifactorial disorder, meaning that it has more than one cause. Bipolar disorder runs in families; children with a sibling or parent with the disorder are four to six times more likely to develop it as well, the National Institute of Mental Health reports. However, identical twins don't always both develop bipolar disease, and they share the exact same genes. Abnormal brain patterns seen on MRI may occur more frequently in people with bipolar disorder. Chemical imbalances noted in brain scans include larger than normal amounts of cortisol, a stress hormone, larger than normal influx of calcium into brain cells and hyperactivity in areas of the brain associated with movement and emotions, the University of Maryland Medical Center reports. Whether nutritional deficiencies cause or worsen these changes or tendencies has not been conclusively proven.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Considerable interest in treating bipolar disease and depression with nontraditional medications has focused on the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA found in fish oils. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential nutrients, meaning they come only from dietary sources. Omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties that appear to reduce the risk of heart disease, arthritis and other disease where inflammation plays a role. A four-month study reported in the May 1999 "Archives of General Psychiatry" by researchers from Harvard Medical School found that adding omega-3 fatty acids to standard bipolar treatment induced longer remission periods in the group taking the drug compared to those taking placebo.
Broad Spectrum Micronutrient Treatment
Broad-spectrum micronutrient treatment gives a 36-ingredient supplement to people with bipolar disorder. Ingredients include a number of minerals, all standard vitamins except vitamin K, antioxidants including grape extract, ginkgo biloba and bioflavonoids, three amino acids and choline and inositol, according to Dr. Charles Popper of Harvard Medical School. The supplement, developed from a formula that originally reduced aggression in farm animals, showed promise first in children, then in adults, with bipolar disorder. While the creators of the formula have published a number of studies showing benefit for the supplement, no rigorously controlled studies have proven the supplement to be either safe or effective, Popper reports. No double-blind, placebo-controlled studies have been conducted using this treatment. Open-label studies have shown a potential benefit for this treatment equal to that of conventional therapies, Popper states. Better controlled studies by independent researchers may establish benefit for this treatment in the future.
Individual Vitamins and Minerals
While they may not cause bipolar disorder, certain vitamins and minerals may help alleviate symptoms, Dr. Jim Haggerty states on PsychCentral. Magnesium deficiency can cause anxiety and insomnia, which often affect people with bipolar disorder. Calcium works with magnesium, so if you take magnesium, you should also take calcium supplements. Zinc deficiency can also cause mental symptoms. Do not take any of these or other supplements without your doctor's approval, Haggerty stresses. Vitamin B-complex deficiencies can also cause mental symptoms ranging from irritability to depression, Popper notes.
References
- National Institute of Mental Health: Bipolar Disorder; August 2010
- McLean in the News: Ongoing Research Shows that Omega-3 Fatty Acids Help Treat Depression; Patrick Perry; June 2005
- "Archives of General Psychiatry;" Omega 3 Fatty Acids in Bipolar Disorder; A. Stoll et al.; May 1999
- PsychCentral; Minerals for Bipolar Disorder; Jim Haggerty, M.D. November 2008
- University of Arizona; Nutritional Management of Bipolar Disorder; Charles Popper, M.D.
