When someone has depression, it may be that they occasionally skip or do not finish their meals. They may go for days without eating or drinking enough. This can impact on their energy levels and cause weight loss and health problems, making their depression even worse.
People can experience a loss of appetite for a wide range of reasons. Some of these are short-term, including colds, food poisoning, other infections, or the side effects of medication. Others are to do with long-term medical conditions, such as diabetes, cancer, or life-limiting illnesses.
There are many contributing factors to depression, but did you know that poor nutrition can also play a role? In fact, recent studies by Harvard Medical School concluded a clear connection between a poor diet and an increased risk of depression.
Diet and emotional well-being
What it boils down to is that what we eat matters for every aspect of our health, but especially our mental health. Several recent research analyses looking at multiple studies support that there is a link between what one eats and our risk of depression, specifically.
Research suggests that certain nutrient deficiencies may put people at a higher risk of developing depression, including deficiencies in vitamins D, B12, and B9.
Conversely, an inadequate diet can lead to fatigue, impaired decision-making, and can slow down reaction time. In fact, a poor diet can actually aggravate, and may even lead to, stress and depression. One of the biggest health impairments is society's reliance on processed foods.
The medical term for a loss of appetite is anorexia.
Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID)
If you get a diagnosis of ARFID, you'll strongly feel the need to avoid certain foods (or all foods). This might be because of smell, taste or texture. The idea of eating may fill you with anxiety.
How food affects stress and anxiety. “Eating foods such as processed meats, high sugar foods, caffeine and alcohol, which provide little nutritional value, have been associated with more psychiatric symptoms and can increase cortisol levels—our primary hormone responsible for stress,” she said.
A depression meal usually describes a low-effort meal you put together when your mental health condition makes cooking hard. Sometimes they're a little unorthodox, but the general message is the same: eating something is better than eating nothing.
Tryptophan in the brain affects the neurotransmitters levels. Consumption of diets low in carbohydrate tends to precipitate depression, since the production of brain chemicals serotonin and tryptophan that promote the feeling of well being, is triggered by carbohydrate rich foods.
When things feel chaotic, overwhelming and out of control, it's common to focus on the one thing you do have power over – your body. Unfortunately, this idea can lead to food restriction as a coping mechanism.
Skipping meals or eating small food portions can make you feel irritable, short-tempered, and moody due to low blood sugar, or glucose. Fluctuations in glucose can upset the balance of other hormones to cause rapid mood swings and other symptoms including fatigue, anxiety, shakiness, and mental confusion.
When dealing with psychological or emotional stress, the body tends to crave sweet foods. Craving carbohydrates, or other sugary foods, can be the brain's way to self-soothe depressive feelings. This explains why a person might want something sweet to calm their nerves at the end of a tough day.
The average age of onset for major depressive disorder is between 35 and 40 years of age. Onset in early adulthood may be linked with more depressive episodes, a longer duration of illness, and therefore a more difficult clinical course.
Clinical depression is the more-severe form of depression, also known as major depression or major depressive disorder. It isn't the same as depression caused by a loss, such as the death of a loved one, or a medical condition, such as a thyroid disorder.