TABLE 1.

Mental Disorders and Alternative Treatments

Mental Disorder	Proposed Cause	Treatment
Major Depression	Serotonin deficiency	Tryptophan
	Dopamine/Noradrenaline deficiency	Tyrosine
	GABA deficiency	GABA
	Omega-3 deficiency	Omega-3s
	Folate/Vitamin B deficiency	Folate/Vitamin B
	Magnesium deficiency	Magnesium
	SAM deficiency	SAM
Bipolar Disorder	Excess acetylcholine receptors	Lithium orotate & taurine
	Excess vanadium	Vitamin C
	Vitamin B/Folate deficiency	Vitamin B/Folate
	L-Tryptophan deficiency	L-Tryptophan
	Choline deficiency	Lecithin
	Omega-3 deficiency	Omega-3s
Schizophrenia	Impaired serotonin synthesis	Tryptophan
	Glycine deficiency	Glycine
	Omega-3 deficiency	Omega-3s
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder	St. John’s Wort deficiency	St. John’s Wort

Note: Adapted with permission from Lakhan, S. E., & Viera, K.F. (2008). Nutritional therapies for mental disorders. Nutrition Journal, 7(2): doi:10.1186/1475-2891-7-2.

GABA = gamma-aminobutyric, SAM = S-adenosylmethionine