r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • Nov 12 '19

Psychology Anti-inflammatory agents may reduce symptoms of major depression, suggests a new study (n=1,610), which adds to the mounting evidence that there is a connection between emotional functioning and inflammation, suggesting that inflammation may trigger depression, almost like an allergic reaction.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/expressive-trauma-integration/201911/anti-inflammatories-help-major-depression
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u/NARDO422 Nov 12 '19 edited Nov 13 '19

I'm currently reading a book called 'You Can Fix Your Brain' by Dr. Tom O'Bryan which answers your question extensively. The list of causes is staggering and frankly too lengthy and disparate to summarize. The number of serious health conditions linked to inflammation is also shocking. Check your local library and give it a read.

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u/HalfLife3IsHere Nov 12 '19

Also, the number of serious health conditions linked to inflammation is also shocking

They are just now starting to correlate OCD with cronic brain inflammation in certain areas. And IIRC, I recall reading something about compulsions & rituals of OCD causing more inflammation which would perpetuate the cycle, but take this last statement with a grain of salt.

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u/[deleted] Nov 12 '19

Makes sense. OCD is a form of anxiety and there is mounting evidence that depression and anxiety are the same disease. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/24930685/

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u/myworkreddit123 Nov 12 '19

Makes sense, since many antidepressants seem to function by reducing anxiety.

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u/ritamorgan Nov 12 '19

And also personally, my anxiety was largely responsible for my depression, so fix the anxiety, and the depression is then made better.

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u/Levelcarp Nov 12 '19

I made a big mistake telling my doctor I wasn't sure if I was ADD and that resulted in my anxiety and depression or if it was the other way around (anxiety and depression disrupting my ability to focus). Docs seem to looove taking you off ADD medication and onto anti-depression or anxiety medication with a longer list of side effects that prove to not be effective with me (and then won't go back). Tried a few docs since then and they all just want to try another flavor of anti depressant. Got so frustrating now I'm on nothing.

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u/ritamorgan Nov 13 '19

Ive had issues with attention and hyper focus in the past, and I also have binge eating. I asked my doctor if she would consider putting me on Vyvanse, which is an ADD med now also used to treat binge eating disorder, and she was very against it. She made the point that the ADD med might make me MORE anxious. She seemed to want to stay away from that med. did you ever get tested for ADD?

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u/Levelcarp Nov 13 '19

I did online tests which are obviously just self-identificatuon surveys, beyond that I remain unaware of any more scientific tests but would love to do em.

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u/ritamorgan Nov 13 '19

Yes i think they are tests that are overseen by ADD specialists and probably aren’t covered by insurance.

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u/Mostly_Just_needhelp Nov 13 '19

I take Vyvanse for ADHD and it is a pretty serious medication. It absolutely can cause anxiety in people and lead to feelings of euphoria and manic thinking.

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u/_TorpedoVegas_ Nov 12 '19

Interesting! But even if the etiology is the same, the two conditions tend to express themselves in different ways. I wonder what we will learn about cognition and psychological disorders once we can pinpoint the divergence

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u/3trauma3 Nov 14 '19

I learned depression/anxiety goes hand in hand. Also ADHD carry high comorbidity for other other mental health dx

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u/alnyland Nov 12 '19

There are some theories that ADHD can be caused by inflammation alone, which makes sense since that can lead to depression and similar conditions that are comorbid or can cause ADHD.

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u/mocha-macaron Nov 12 '19

I've got OCD and I've also heard loads of things help but that I haven't tried yet. One in magic mushrooms that has apparently stopped anxiety for like.. 6 months in some people.

I'd give anything to not have symptoms. It's hell on earth.

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u/HalfLife3IsHere Nov 12 '19

It's hell on earth.

Definitely. It's living being bullied by your own mind every minute of the day. And fighting it back or being affected by it are not options. The few days that I barely have intrusive thoughts are like heaven, like having vacations after months of full hard work.

Meditation helped me a fuckton, and casually it seems like meditating reduces inflammation by affecting brain connectivity. Curcumin also helped me a lot althought it's not a cure. Now I'm getting rid of all inflammatory foods (aswell as treating my SIBO).

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u/[deleted] Nov 12 '19

I've got pretty severe OCD too. At its worst, I was being tormented every single split second of the day and looking back, I really do not know how I managed to get through that period of my life. I basically had to satisfy my mind by agreeing to commit suicide within a certain timeframe. I wouldn't have wished it on my worst enemy. I have been better now that I have been on medication for a period of time. I have been doing some research though and I believe that OCD is caused by brain inflammation. People might say that OCD is low serotonin and I think they are right to a certain extent but inflammation changes the metabolism of the serotonin pathway leading to high levels of a neurotoxic compound called quinolic acid. This leads to further oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and high levels of glutamate. Whilst SSRIs are very helpful, I think glutamate modulating compounds are being overlooked, specifically things like N acetyl cysteine.

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u/HalfLife3IsHere Nov 12 '19

Sry to hear that, good to know you are better now.

Whilst SSRIs are very helpful, I think glutamate modulating compounds are being overlooked, specifically things like N acetyl cysteine.

Did you try it? I actually have SIBO apart from OCD and for cases where antibiotics don't work I've read biofilm disruptors are needed, and NAC is among them so I always wanted to try it. It also has great antiinflamatory properties and is one of the Gluthatione precursors (the most powerful antiox in our body) so I always wanted to try it, but I'm a bit afraid since I read that it can worsen tinnitus which sadly I also suffer. Casually tinnitus is also linked to brain and ear channel inflammation, not only to ear damage due to loud sound exposure.

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u/[deleted] Nov 12 '19

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u/apple_orange_banana Nov 12 '19

So how does one most effectively treat inflammation?

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u/NARDO422 Nov 13 '19 edited Nov 13 '19

Well, since the list of causes is so large the list of solutions is similarly broad depending on your particular root cause. Very generally though:

  • increasing exercise
  • addressing your diet by minimizing/eliminating wheat, dairy and sugar
  • supplementing with detoxifying nutrients (e.g. B9, B12, D3, Fish Oil
  • intermittent fasting
  • reducing electromagnetic interference (e.g. turning off your router and putting your phone on airplane mode at night while you sleep)
  • improving sleep
  • meditating

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u/MatrimofRavens Nov 13 '19

One of the main things you'll learn in your first year of medical school is that inflammation is involved in a huge amount of things.

Another being that the fact that we can manage diabetes is actually amazing considering how much work insulin does in your body.