Depression is a chronic psychiatric disease that causes people to have abnormally low mood and self-esteem and to lose pleasure in activities that they formerly enjoyed. Some people treat depression using supplements, such as melatonin. If you are feeling depressed, melatonin may be able to help you with some of your symptoms, but you should talk to your doctor first, as concerns surround the effects of melatonin on depression.
Melatonin
Melatonin is a hormone that is secreted by your pineal gland, which is located in the brain. Your melatonin levels help control the levels of other hormones in your body and also regulate your circadian rhythm. Your circadian rhythm is your body's internal clock, which plays a role regarding when you fall asleep and when you wake. People take melatonin supplements to help them sleep, particularly if they have a disrupted circadian rhythm, which can happen due to jet lag.
Depression
Melatonin has been studied as a treatment for depression for patients who are not responding well to other medications. In 2000, the "Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience" published an article examining the effects of slow-release melatonin on a group of patients who were depressed and were resistant to other medications. Melatonin was able to help with insomnia and other sleep-related symptoms of depression; however, the authors of this study found that melatonin did not have any effect on other symptoms of depression.
Seasonal Affective Disorder
Taking melatonin may be useful for one form of depression known as seasonal affective disorder, the National Institute of Mental Health reports. Seasonal affective disorder is a condition that can affect people during the winter months, because their circadian rhythms become out of sync with the sun. If you have seasonal affective disorder, you can become depressed during the winter months. Taking melatonin supplements in the afternoon may help improve your symptoms.
Considerations
If you are feeling depressed, melatonin may exacerbate your symptoms of depression, the University of Maryland Medical Center explains. Melatonin supplements can also interfere with the effects of some antidepressant medications and make them less effective. Melatonin can also interact with other medications, including anti-psychotics, blood thinners and blood pressure medications. Consequently, if you are experiencing symptoms of depression, you should consult your doctor before taking melatonin supplements. Aside from treating seasonal affective disorder, melatonin does not appear to be very effective for depression.
References
- "Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience"; Use of Slow-release Melatonin in Treatment-resistant Depression; E.J. Dalton et al.; January 2000
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Melatonin; Steven D. Ehrlich; December 2009
- National Institute of Mental Health; Properly Timed Light, Melatonin Lift Winter Depression by Syncing Rhythms; May 1, 2006
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