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This post may or may not be of interest to people.  I have suffered with
depression for most of my life.  I have been on some form of anti-depressant
since 1990.  In 1998 I was diagnosed with CD after ITCHING since 1996.  The
itching began in April, just six months after my mother died.  The doctor
diagnosed me with scabies - an occupational hazard, or so I thought, since I
am a teacher.  But none of my students were found to have scabies.....hmmmm.
I itched and itched and itched until I was diagnosed by an allergist in 1998.
 Also in 1996, my sister developed the first sign of Scleroderma which is
also an autoimmune disease.  She now has full-blown Scleroderma.  Which
brings me to the present.

I have been struggling with depression since my diagnosis (please, please
Celiac zealots[and I truly don't mean that unkindly - you have a right to be
a 'zealot' for something you feel strongly about], don't tell me how LUCKY I
am to "just" have CD.  I KNOW that objectively but I am still struggling with
it emotionally.  For example, on Mother's Day, I baked instead of relaxing
and since it was blistering hot here in Savannah, GA, the kitchen was almost
an inferno.  PLUS, I've gained 25 lbs - and I'm not someone who was emaciated
at the time of RX.  And PLEASE, don't tell me how healthy this diet is - I
have to cook with a lot more fat than I did in the past. However, it is far
better than Scleroderma - I will acknowledge that.)

The press has recently been talking about the unknown long-term effects of
anti-depressants and this has me concerned. So, my current therapist
recommended a book entitled Molecules of Emotion written by Candace Pert,
PhD.  Dr. Pert is a chemical biologist with impressive credentials.  On P.
267 of this book she explains how anti-depressants work.  Most people
understand that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance of the brain.
But Dr. Pert explains that this chemical imbalance takes place throughout the
body, especially in the stomach.  She writes..

      it's known that people on anti-depressants often have gastrointestinal
  disorders.  And think what might be happening to cells in the immune system
  that also have these same receptors on their surfaces.  We could be
  inadvertently affecting the ability of our natural killer cells to attack
  mutated cells....But no one's doing the research to explore these kinds of
  effects.

Could the anti-depressants have brought on CD?  It's a question I'm wrestling
with.  I hope some of the scientists who monitor this list, can weigh in on
this issue.  It might be helpful.

Regards,

Linda in Savannah, GA