Mental Health in Children:
Nutrition as a Common Sense Alternative to Medications and Labels
By Scott M. Shannon, MD
The
American medical profession has rejected and avoided the science of
nutrition for over a century. Most American physicians ignore
well-proven nutritional interventions in spite of solid science, low
cost, good safety and exploding patient demand. Our doctors dismiss the
value of nutrition without understanding or exploring the information.
The pattern is set in medical school where minimal time is devoted to
this topic. Sadly, nowhere is this anti-nutrition mindset more obvious
than in the specialty of psychiatry.
The brain forms the obvious foundation for
the importance of nutrition in mental health or illness. The process of
brain growth transforms a few embryonic cells into the most complex
system in the known universe. At one point in the first trimester over
250,000 neurons are being created per minute. This extraordinary process
does not stop at birth: the human brain quadruples in weight after
delivery. The child’s brain is much more complex than our adult brain
with twice the number of neurons and much more rapid synaptic growth and
interconnection.
This enormous neurological development has
vast metabolic and nutritional demands. If the child’s diet does not
supply the needed nutrients (omega-3 essential fatty acids, magnesium,
b-vitamins, amino acids, folate, etc) than the child’s brain will be
handicapped and prone to dysfunction and psychiatric symptoms.
Sadly, the American diet continues to deteriorate. Over two thirds of
our kids fail to meet the dietary recommendations for one or more
nutrient. Only 1% of Americans eat according the food pyramid
guidelines. Fully 65% of our calories now come from sugar and fat. Our
intake of magnesium has fallen dramatically in the last century. Also
because of feedlots, fast foods and hydrogenated oils our ratio of
omega-3 oils to omega-6 oils has deteriorated from 1:1 to 1:20 in the
last 150 years. Most Americans are deficient is this key neurological
building block. American breast milk has the lowest levels of DHA (an
omega-3 EFA) in the developed world. Our children must have DHA and
other omega-3 nutrients to build a functioning brain. A starving brain
is a symptomatic brain.
We have witnessed an explosion of child
psychiatric illness in the last 30 years. For example, a 2007 study
found that the rate of diagnosis of pediatric bipolar disorder (one of
the most severe and difficult to treat problems in childhood) increased
by 40 FOLD in the last 10 years. Adult illness in the same study did not
even double. I believe one reason for this epidemic is nutritional
deficiency. There are obviously many different problems created by a
wide variety of nutritional issues. Each child is different. Only
recently with advanced genetic science have we come to realize how
different and unique we are in our individual biochemistry. Scientist
have long known that the need for vitamins and nutrients vary widely
from person to person. The requirement for a single nutrient can range
from 10 to 1 or even 100 to 1 from person to person.
Recently the number of nutritional
compounds found to be effective or helpful in psychiatric disorders has
dramatically risen. Folate, B-6 and SAMe have proven value in treating
major depression. Chromium has good evidence for improving atypical
depression. A number of studies document the value of magnesium in mood
disorders and its shows great similarity to the mineral lithium in its
effects upon neurons. A 2006 study found that 7/10 children with major
depression got better with omega-3 oils versus 0/10 with a placebo.
Suddenly, we have scientific proof that nutrition helps to heal
psychiatric disorders.
Psychiatric medications are the preferred tools in child psychiatry.
Unfortunately, the evidence that this approach is safe or effective is
clearly inadequate. Most parents have real caution about medicating
their child’s growing brain. The vast majority of parents that I speak
to across the US are ecstatic about safe and natural approaches for
childhood mental health issues like attention, depression, anxiety and
aggression.
My approach provides a foundation of
healthy diet, lifestyle adjustments and proven supplements before we
consider medications. I am not anti-medication; rather I believe that we
must offer safer and more natural options for adjusting biochemistry
before considering powerful pharmaceuticals. Beyond that, doesn’t it
make more sense to correct biochemistry before we medicate the
developing brain? Common sense tells me that the nutritional approach to
psychiatric signs and symptoms in children makes the most sense as a
first step.
As I mentioned, in recent years we have
witnessed an explosion of children and teens labeled with bipolar
disorder. These kids are aggressive, violent and out of control. Our
current medications are not very effective. A growing number of
psychiatrists around the country have been using a vitamin/mineral
product to effectively treat this disorder. A well-known Harvard child
psychiatrist, Charles Popper, MD in 2001, popularized this approach. He
published a report in a psychiatric journal about his experience: he
treated a 10 year old boy with severe bipolar with this natural product
and the boy was completely symptom free within 5 days. Three other
published studies on this product have followed and a large randomized
controlled trial is underway right now.
This raises a profound question: If
vitamins and minerals can completely eliminate the signs and symptoms of
bipolar disorder in children, are these symptoms of an true illness or
of a nutritional deficiency syndrome such as scurvy or pellagra?
In my book, Please Don’t Label My Child,
I outline my perspective for promoting solid mental health and
preventing psychiatric issues. This is a book both for healthy kids and
for kids with obvious issues. Besides my strong emphasis on nutrition I
also address school issues, family issues, our environment, everyday
trauma, parent-child fit, key relationships and other crucial topics
forgotten by most psychiatrists. This book will help all parents keep
their kids whole and healthy. Beyond this, my approach will help parents
to uncover the magical potential that lies within each child.
****
About the Author
SCOTT M. SHANNON, MD, is a pediatric psychiatrist, board certified in
general psychiatry, child/adolescent psychiatry, and holistic medicine.
He currently serves as medical director for four residential treatment
centers for children and teens in northern Colorado
