Nutrition for Mental Health and Wellbeing

Causes and Management of Nutritional Deficiency Disorders

Introduction

Mental health is a popular issue, and with a good reason. According to WHO's International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), mental disease is a broad definition for health disorders (depression, anxiety, bipolar, eating disorders, and schizophrenia), substance use (alcohol and drug use disorders), and neuro developmental disorders, including autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and developmental disability (World Health Organization, 2019).

Mental problems are becoming more prevalent over the world. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, U. S. (2013) one out of every five people suffered mental illness in 2018, and 16.5% of kids aged 6 to 17 had a mental health issue in 2016. Anxiety, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder are the most common mental health concerns. In India, it is believed that almost one-third of individuals seeking treatment from health-care institutions may have symptoms linked to depression, and the prevalence rate of mood disorder was reported to range from as low as 0.5 to as high as 78 per 1000 people . The frequency of mental health illnesses has risen in industrialized nations, along with the decline of the Western diet (Hidaka, 2012).

There are different classes of mental health issues and mental illnesses, the most common one being Clinical depression also known as major depressive disorder, a mental health condition that causes a consistently depressed mood and a loss of interest in activities surrounding a person. Clinical depression also affects how one sleeps, appetite ability to think clearly. Anxiety disorders includes emotions characterized by the anticipation of future danger or misfortune, in addition to excessive worrying. This class includes generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder and phobias. Neurodevelopmental disorders covers a wide range of issues that usually begin in infancy or childhood, often before the child begins grade school (Morris et al., 2020). Examples include autism spectrum disorder, learning disorders and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Bipolar and related disorders includes disorders with alternating episodes of depression and mania — periods of excessive activity, energy and excitement (Jain & Mitra, 2024). Schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders are another class of mental disorders that causes detachment from reality such as frequent episodes of delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized thinking and speech (Tandon, 2013). The most notable example is schizophrenia, although other classes of disorders can be associated with detachment from reality at times. Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders involve preoccupations/ obsessions and repetitive thoughts or actions (Murphy et al., 2010). Examples include obsessive-compulsive disorder, hoarding disorder and hair-pulling disorder.

It is not clear yet whether poor nutrition, as a symptom of sadness, anxiety or depression, causes nutritional deficiencies or primary micro and macronutrients shortages produce mental health disorders that, in both cases, only enforce the symptoms of these illnesses (Rao et al., 2008). Modern populations are becoming more overfed, malnourished, sedentary, sun-deprived, sleep-deprived, and socially isolated. These lifestyle changes all lead to poor physical health and influence the occurrence and treatment of depression. As health care professionals or academicians are trying to better understand these issues and develop effective therapies, it is necessary to investigate the influence of mental health on general health as well as the role of good eating habits in treating mental health conditions. Majority of patients dealing with mental health disorders are deficient in micronutrients ranging from omega-3 fatty acids to several B complex vitamins.