The Prevalence of Mood Disorders in Adolescents

 

It's well-known that teenagers can be moody while they are growing up. Hormones trying to balance the brain and body, combined with growth spurts can make life frustrating. But if you, or your teen experiences wild mood swings, periodic depression, fatigue, or anger, you may be able to help him or her. Nutritional deficiencies may be responsible for many symptoms of a lack of wellness. Mood disorders in adolescents can be corrected.

There is a chain of events that lead to poor nutrition for everyone at this point:

depleted soil caused by no rest period as well as chemical fertilizershormone disruptors in the food we buy from pesticidesfoods are mineral deficient because the soil is mineral deficientnutritious food is fresh foodprocessed foods are full of chemicals that change your brainyour brain, body chemistry and hormones are dazed and confused

How could anyone not have a mood disorder?

Mineral intake is crucial. The mineral magnesium is responsible for thousands of chemical interactions in your biochemistry. A magnesium deficiency needs to be corrected! Some magnesium deficiency symptoms that could be related to a mood disorder are:

headaches, including horrible migrainesaching in the neck and backpanic and anxiety attacks (a myriad of distressing symptomsconstipation, which makes anyone grouchymenstrual crampsirritability (and miserable PMS)irregular heartbeat

An adolescent mood disorder may begin and end with nutrition. Whatever other treatment is available (to some with good insurance and wealth), good nutrition is bound to help.

Another area of nutrition that affects the brain is the Vitamin B Compound. The B vitamins should be taken together in a compound mix, because a lot of one can create deficiencies, or imbalance in the others. However, B12 is so inadequately consumed, that a separate supplement can be used. Sublingual, or under the tongue tablets are the easy to take, and they taste good too. B12 is also available in a spray bottle.

Teens live on fast food to a large degree. Is there such a thing as the healthiest fast food? Well, sort of. A good green smoothie with some protein powder added can be made to taste delicious.

Healthy oils are another factor that influence brain function and therefore mood. Healthy oils that result in enough omega three fatty acids to balance the omega 6 fatty acids that are more prevalent in our diet, also create brain hormones. These brain hormones manufacture the chemicals that allow us to feel enthusiastic and mentally sharp. In other words, they are mood elevators.

Teens who diet too much and try to live on non-fat foods are denying their brains what they need to thrive and grow.

Sugar and caffeine are wonderful mood elevators, but as we all know, there is a quick spike of biochemical activity, and then a crash. Furthermore, while sugar and caffeine create wild mood swings they also replace real nutrition.

Exercise cannot be left out of anyone's life, and many teens sit down too much. School hours, studying, a social life on the computer or other electronic device, all sitting down. A problem for all of us perhaps! Yet a growing teen needs exercise to trigger bone growth, in fact, all growth.

If you have a teen who experiences wild mood swings or seems to be depressed, and you don't feel ready to start the onslaught of tests, (or cannot), start with one of these issues. Sneak nutrition into your family diet as much as you can. If your child is open to hearing about it, the reason for nutrition is a great education they are not going to find anywhere else.

Start where you can. Learn more about diet and wild mood swings. Sometimes a very simple remedy will help with mood disorders in adolescents. I hope you find this information a good starting point for figuring out your situation.

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