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Is dieting making me depressed?
I started a diet just over a month ago and my depression has become increasingly worse even though I'm still on my antidepressants.
Is it possible I'm not eating enough serotonin-inducing foods? I read that chocolate is one but only gives you a fix for a couple of hours. Could cutting it out have a long-term effect?
- gabbyevs -
Interestingly, one of the medications doctors use to help patients control weight modifies serotonin levels to improve the feeling of fullness after a meal. For some patients weight gain can be a direct consequence of the depression through comfort eating or lack of activity through tiredness.
The process of dieting can lead to low mood so can also make depression worse. This is as much to do with forcing uncomfortable habit change and depriving oneself of favourite foods as a lack of serotonin-inducing foods. Modern antidepressants increase brain levels of serotonin (Prozac etc) so there shouldn't be a need for you to modify your diet to compensate.
Be realistic in your weight loss goals, make sure you don't neglect your depression and make sure your doctor is aware of your weight loss aspirations.
Dr Ian Campbell, President, National Obesity Forum
Do you suffer from depression? Talk to other iVillagers' who know how you feel on our Coping With Depression message board.
Take a look at the live discussions taking place there right now:
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