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Thank you all so very very much for all the wonderful responses to my question about the mental symptoms of gluten.  It's been very very helpful.  (For some of you who mentioned cooking for him---he's 1300 miles from me!)  My friend is doing better at the moment than he was, and I'm just going to try to help him by phone as much as possible, and hopefully get down to see him this Summer, and I will cook then. Sorry it's taken so long to summarize.  I so so appreciate all the experiences shared!  Gives some real hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel!Timia   I was seriously mentally ill for seven years, in
therapy and in and out of  mental hospitals, with thoughts and attempts
at
suicide.  Nobody could do anything that really helped -- until I went
Gluten Free.  That was over 20 years ago, and I have not had any return
of
symptoms or problems since.  And, to top it all off, I also feel better
and
stronger physically than at any time in my life and I am going to be 60
this year!

The turning point was very gradual and subtle -- occurring after more
than
a month of being totally gluten-free.

For me, the GF diet was a not only a life-saver, but it made me feel
like
that life was something I WANTED to save. (Before that living longer
was
not an encouraging idea!)

Today I enjoy life in ways that I never could imagine possible when I
was
deeply depressed and psychotic.   I was so miserable I willing to try
anything -- tell your friend that if he really is desperate he must try
the
GF diet.  It has to be strictly followed, takes dedication, and it is
not a
"quickie" of a cure.  But the potential to get his life back from the
dark
pits of mental illness is there if he is desperate enough, determined
enough to not only end his misery, but to rejoin the human race as a
happy,
contributing member of society.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I can relate  to what your friend is going through.  Before I was diagnosed, I had mental symptoms like constant panic attacks, not being able to be in public places,  hearing voices in my head constantly and severe depression.  Once I went on the diet, ALL the mental symptoms disappeared and have never returned.  Even if I accidentally ingest gluten, I don't have any mental affects from it.  I've been GF for 8 years.   -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I was diagnosed with CD about 14 years ago and have been pretty good about sticking to a GF diet with only a little bit of cheating here and there.  About 3 years ago I went on a low carb (GF) diet and, even though my mental and emotional symptom don't sound as severe as your friends, I found that my moods and bouts with feeling depressed subsided dramatically.  I believe people who tend to crave carbohydrates should probably limit their intake of them.  I've read other peoples' comment about going on a low carb diet and not needing to take an antidepressant any more.---------------------------------------------------------------------
I have problems with depression whenever I eat anything with gluten in
it.
It causes my immune system to respond with me being tired, then I feel
depressed too.  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------I could not think!  In addition, I have had many other neurological symptoms, numbness, blurred vision, hearing loss, fatigue, and severe headaches.  Before I knew what I had, I ate shredded wheat and all my symptoms intensified.  I thought I was going to die!  After only 2 days on the gluten-free diet,  I was thinking clearly again, most of the numbness went away, less severe headaches, less fatigued, and I my hearing and vision went back to normal.  It was amazing!!  I have been GF for almost a year now, and feeling great!---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------My wife Karin is a coeliac.  When she ingests gluten, I can usually
spot
this first because she becomes depressed in a very specific way (she an
artist and we get the "my work's rubbish, why do I bother effect).  ------------------------------------------------------------------------My son is 4 yrs old. He has been on the diet for only 4 months, but
already
we have seen huge improvements. He used to be a very angry child, and
was
unhappy most of the time. Now I can tell if he has gotten gluten
because he
reverts to the violent little boy he was. He has just begun to tell me
he
loves me in the last couple months, and I can't say if he was depressed
before his diagnosis, but he sure wasn't a happy kid. I would say when
things aren't right with your body, your mental state can't be great
either.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------I had lots of mental symptoms before diagnosis of CD and getting gluten free. Some were short term memory loss, social anxiety, severe depression, obsessive/compulsive disorder (I attribute that to forgetting what I had or hadn't done in the just the past few minutes). I am nearly totally a "normal" person today after 2 1/2 years gluten free. Still suffer from some short term memory loss, but nothing like what it was.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------My wife had bad bouts of depression, amongst all the other symptoms.
After going gluten free (totally) all her symptoms eased and then
disappeared.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------One of the first things I notice after accidentally
ingesting gluten is drowsiness, then irritability,
then difficulty remembering words.  This happens
within the first few hours, usually before any
physical symptoms.

If I have continued gluten ingestions, I become
extremely irritable, depressed, paranoid, easily
angered. This may persist from a day to several weeks.
Exposure effects are less long lived now than when I
first became gluten free.
I could live with the physical symptoms of heartburn
and diarrhea but am very careful about what I eat
because it is such a relief to live without the
mental/emotional symptoms.
Gluten free, I feel calm, content with my life,
focused and my memory works, most of the time.------------------------------------------------------------------------Malnutrition causes depression, anguish, any number of mental symptoms
simply due to lack of appropriate nourishment to cells that need it.
Depression and suicide run in my family along with severe celiac
disease,
but depression vanishes when the GF diet is followed.  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------We have found a definite connection between eating wheat and gluten causing our seven-year-old grandson to have Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder.  If he stays on the gluten-free diet, he is fine, and he gets 100 per cent on spelling tests, etc.  If he has a snack of even one do-nut, he has trouble focusing.  I don't know of any scientific studies, but this comes from experience.  What you eat, affects your mind. ---------------------------------------------------------------------I've always had
some
"problems" but when I went GF I felt like a new person, the fog and the
confusion lifted for the first time in my life. A few months ago I went
off
the diet because I wanted an "official" dx. It was a nightmare! What's
worse
is I did not realize it was the gluten till I was almost at rock
bottom. I
was suffering from extreme anxiety and depression and the mental fog
and
confusion was back along with the GI issues eating gluten causes. I
even
went to my Dr trying to find out what was wrong with me and started on
Zoloft which helped just enough for me to realize the problems started
when
I started back on gluten so I went back to GF (the week before
thanksgiving
no less!) and within 1 month I came off the Zoloft with no problems and
all
the mental issues were gone.=)------------------------------------------------------------------Yes,Yes.Yes,!  I have suffered greatly from mental , behavioral and emotional problems with my gluten sensitivity.  I was officially diagnosed CD back in January, however I did
change my diet back in November of 2002 when my gastro doctor told me of his suspicions.  Of course I was more concerned with my physical well-being at that time because I have been fortunate to be a healthy individual up until this time and so that was my main focus. I thought I must have cancer or something of that nature because all of a sudden (at least it seemed that way to me) I had all these different issues going on.
However, I was not aware of the "mental " changes that had also been taking place.  I recall telling my husband that I felt like I was coming out of a "fog" and that I was thinking more clearly than I had for years.  I now look around me and wonder where "I" have been.  I was irritable all the time, I would feel that my husband was "conspiring" against me and laughing at me with his friends.  (not true) My emotions were almost non existent about life in general.  What good am I?  Why should I be here?
How come other people accomplish the things they do?  Why can't I?  I thought of suicide also, many times.  I felt that I was doing nothing positive in life and that my family, once they got over the initial shock, would just go on happily without me.----------------------------------------------------------------------My
personal
experience (when I was really sick--prior to and for a short while
after
diagnosis) was a constant mental kaleidoscope of pictures, sounds and
thoughts.  At the time, my physical distress was so severe the mental
activity
acted as a diversion and did not distress me.  However, another person
may have
found this aspect alarming and confusing.  Another thing to consider is
that
there may be something else going in addition to CD.  Maintaining a
gluten-free
state is paramount.  My mental activity described above went away when I established a GF diet.  --------------------------------------------------------I can tell immediately if I inadvertently get gluten, depression sets
in and then I know I must drink tons of water to rid my body of it.  -------------------------------------------------------I felt horribly depressed and my thoughts would race through my
mind.
It's the inability to concentrate because you are eating gluten.  I
have
been a Celiac for 12 years now and if I make a mistake the first
symptom is
my inability to focus.  It's like I'm drugged.  I can hardly speak,
think.



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