Table 1 Summary of proposed causes and treatments for common mental health disorders
Mental Disorder | Proposed Cause | Treatment | References | Type of Study |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Major Depression | Serotonin deficiency | Tryptophan | [15] [32] | Human pilot clinical trial Double-blind, placebo controlled |
| Â | Dopamine/Noradrenaline deficiency | Tyrosine | [30] [36] | Double-blind, placebo controlled Randomized within or between subjects |
| Â | GABA deficiency | GABA | [29] | Clinical trial |
| Â | Omega-3 deficiency | Omega-3s | [39] | Clinical trial |
| Â | Folate/Vitamin B deficiency | Folate/Vitamin B | [9] [13] | Randomized controlled trial Clinical trial |
| Â | Magnesium deficiency | Magnesium | [14] | Cases studies |
| Â | SAM deficiency | SAM | [37] | Double-blind, placebo controlled |
Bipolar Disorder | Excess acetylcholine receptors | Lithium orotate & taurine | [50] | Clinical trial |
| Â | Excess vanadium | Vitamin C | [45] | Double-blind, placebo controlled |
| Â | Vitamin B/Folate deficiency | Vitamin B/Folate | [47] [71] | Human pilot clinical trial Clinical trial |
| Â | L-Tryptophan deficiency | L-Tryptophan | [72] | Clinical trial |
| Â | Choline deficiency | Lecithin | [73] | Double-blind, placebo controlled |
| Â | Omega-3 deficiency | Omega-3s | [21] [48] [74] [75] | Double-blind, placebo controlled Clinical trial Clinical trial Double-blind, placebo controlled |
Schizophrenia | Impaired serotonin synthesis | Tryptophan | [53] | Open-baseline controlled trial |
| Â | Glycine deficiency | Glycine | [54] [55] [56] | Double-blind, placebo controlled Human pilot open-label trial Clinical trial |
| Â | Omega-3 deficiencies | Omega-3s | [59] [60] [65] | Double-blind, placebo controlled Randomized, placebo controlled Open-label clinical trial |
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder | St. John's wort deficiency | St John's wort | [69] [70] | Randomized, double-blind trial Double-blind, placebo controlled |