Ask for nutritional support as firstline treatment in depression -

And question your medical provider about just what might be wrong with you, really. Don't accept a knee-jerk response and trying to fit your symptoms into a category where they might not belong.

From the London (UK) Daily Mail 10 June.08
"HOW THE WRONG DRUGS MIGHT BE CAUSING YOUR DEPRESSION"

Prof. Jane Plant of University College, London, & Janet Stephenson, a psychologist at a London Hospital say that doctors often mistake physical illness for depression. A study by an American psychiatrist found that over 10% of patients diagnosed with mental illness actually suffer an underlying physical condition such as thyroid problems or a mineral deficiency of calcium or magnesium etc.

Another study found that over 40% of patients diagnosed as depressed at one medical practice were found to have been given medication that causes depression as a side-effect.

"Asthma treatments, for example, can cause depression, but some doctors don't know this", says Prof. Plant. "If a doctor does prescribe a drug, they should ascertain if the patient has low levels of neurotransmitters - brain chemicals such as serotonin that influence mood - and which one is low. This can be checked by a urine or blood test in a private clinic. The problem is most NHS doctors aren't even aware such tests exist. This leads to doctors randomly trying drugs before they find the right combination."

The book "Beating Stress, Anxiety & Depression" by Prof. Jane Plant & Janel Stephenson. (Piatkuson, 2008. Tel: 0845 606 4206.