sure like to know if there is a connection between nutrition and depression?

hi dutchy1957,

Yes! Absolutely there is a connection between nutrition and depression, and I've provided you with many resources below to help you answer this question. Please read over the articles below (click on any orange hyperlink), and follow-up with us regarding any additional questions you have. This topic is so broad, and the information so extensive, that in order to provide the most relevant research and resources, I would need more specific questions from you.

Start with the following resources, and hopefully this can help us narrow down some specific questions or concerns you have:
1. One of our Her Writers, Shamir Benji, wrote several articles about this very topic, and states, "..some health care professionals believe that nutrition can play a key role, both in the onset, severity, and duration of depression, including daily mood swings. "
- Can Nutrition Help Depression, Part 1
- Nutrition and Depression, Part 2

2. An EmpowHer expert, Dr. Christensen, discusses the Diet and Depression connection in a video (transcript included).

3. Deborah Kesten, also a Her Writer, states in her article, Depressin Rx: Food and Mood Connection, "...what you eat can affect your mind and emotions was first discovered by Richard Wurtman, MD and Judith Wurtman, PhD, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the 1970s, when they found that the sugar and starch in carbohydrate foods boosted a powerful brain chemical called serotonin."

4. Lastly, Dr. Carrie Jones, Her Writer, writes about the benefits of Fish Oil and Depression.

Why would you like to stop using your medication? Do you feel it is no longer working, or would you like to see how you feel without it?

Are you currently seeing a medical doctor, as well as a mental health doctor? What are their professional opinions regarding your depression, and whether or not it is in your best interest to no longer take medication for your depression? Have they provided you with any alternatives?

Lastly, before beginning any new diet regimine, be sure to speak with your doctors, so they can monitor your progress. Also, please tell your doctor(s)--if you haven't already--about your interest in stopping your medication, as there are specific procedures that need to be taken before doing so (and may not be recommended for you).