> Beware- not everything about depression will respond to diet or psychosocial
> therapy. Sometimes alterations in brain structure are at play rather than
> brain function.
>
> Although small changes in chemical levels may be achieved with diet etc,
> nothing will change brain structure that we know of.
>
> It's hard to be your own doctor but harder stil to be your own psychiatrist.
>
> Ben Balzer

Note: This is not medical advice- medical advice can only come from your
doctor .  If you read something here that in any way contradicts what your
doctor tells you, TAKE YOUR DOCTOR'S ADVICE. Print this out and discuss it
with your doctor.

Further to this, I view the brain as resolving down to 2 major issues-
structure (wiring) and function (firing).

Wiring- the position of the nerve cells and their connections. This will not
change.
Firing- the amount of chemicals (neurotransmitter) being released. Some
people hope to change this by diet etc.

Dietary therapy is NOT a full therapy of depression, but may be an adjuvant
in some people. Talk about it with your doctor- they should be supportive
and continue to monitor you while you while you adjust your diet. Tell your
doctor if you're taking herbal medicine eg hypericum. Physicians have a very
high rate of depression, and many of them are on therapy too, and that's
their private business. Most doctors don't know a lot about this kind of
nutritional issue, so they should have a fairly open mind. Keep an open mind
yourself- if you think you're getting better and your doctor thinks you're
better, then that's great, and if not, at least you've tried your best. Take
your medciation as prescribed and if you want to make any changes, consult
your doctor. I wouldn't expect anyone to see any change in less than 6
weeks, probably 2 months

There is no definite proven therapy or dietary link to depression, so doubt
anyone who says there is. On the other hand, depression is heading to be the
largest single cause of major morbidity by 2010 according to WHO. Nobody
knows why. After reading the Omega Diet, one wonders if Omega 3
insufficiency/ Omega 6 excess is playing a role. The Omega Diet is
compatible with any diet but pasrticularly with paleodiet.

I've read a couple of  books- Food and Mood- the diet was not very
convincing- it's a comprehensive look at neurotransmitter precursors in the
diet and like issues. A huge book (most properly depressed people wouldn't
have the energy to wade through it).
The Omega Diet- very convincing. There are some small trials showing some
benefit of fish oil capsules in amnic depression- caution they sometimes
swiched the patient from depressed to manic.
Clinical papers and studies- read review much like Food and Mood, didn't
come to any real conclusion.

Ben Balzer