Natural Approaches to Depression in Children and Teens

Part 1: The Role of Zinc

According to the Centers for Addiction and Mental Health, in 5 Canadians experiences a mental health or addiction problem in any given year. 70% of mental health problems have their onset in childhood and adolescence.

It is therefore imperative that childhood mental health problems be treated safely and effectively, not only to address current suffering but to prevent long-term mental illness as well as untimely deaths.

In 2012, suicide accounted for 17% of deaths among children aged 10-14, 28% among teens aged 15-19 and 25% among young adults aged 20-24.

Conventional treatment of depression focuses on antidepressant medications. These can have serious side effects and in some cases even increase suicidal behavior. They also don’t address the underlying reasons for depression. Nonetheless, one in ten Canadians is taking antidepressant medication, including children.

Non drug based approaches can be far safer and more effective and tend to address the root causes of depression. There are many possible causes of depression in children and youth, including inherited predispositions, nutritional factors, exposure to toxins and infectious agent and emotionally traumatic events. Most commonly, depression is a multifactorial condition. This article is the first of a series and will focus on the role of nutrition, especially the role of zinc.

Malnutrition in children

Children often suffer from undiagnosed malnutrition. With the many processed foods in their diets most children’s nutritional status is poorer than those of adults, although they require increased nutrients for growth and development.

I have cringed numrous times watching some of my daughter’s classmates walking to school clutching a fistful of gummi worms for breakfast, or eating bags of fruit loops or a dry Mr. Noodles for lunch.

I fought with the administration of every school she attended to stop the selling of pizza lunches served with donuts and chocolate milk as fundraisers, and the continuous bombardment of the children with sugary treats brought almost daily by well-meaning parents and teachers.

These foods offer mostly high fat, high sugar, empty calories devoid of minerals and vitamin, not exactly brain fuel. I believe that diet contributes to the fact that one in six children is now being diagnosed with some sort of developmental disorder.

Hair mineral analysis and zinc levels

One simple way to assess nutritional status is with a hair mineral analysis, a simple and inexpensive test available through most naturopathic doctors.

I have literally run hundreds of these tests over the last 25 years and have rarely seen one come back with a normal zinc level, a testament to modern food production methods.

Children tend to be especially low in zinc, a crucial trace mineral that is involved in more than 200 enzymatic reactions in the human body. The highest concentrations of zinc are found in the brain.

Zinc levels can affect the function of the blood-brain-barrier. As the name implies, this barrier controls what can enter or exit the brain, including how much aluminum is allowed to enter the brain. Aluminum is highly neurotoxic and has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, autism and OCD symptoms among others. [1]

Zinc also plays a role in neurological signaling pathways and other important brain functions. Approximately 10% of the total zinc in the brain exists in the synaptic vesicles, little bubbles full of neurotransmitters at the ends of neurons. In fact, zinc may act as a neurotransmitter. [2]

Zinc and neurological disorders

Zinc deficiency in certain regions of the brain such as the hippocampus, has been linked to an increased risk of neurological diseases, including epilepsy, as well as depression, ADHD, learning disabilities and olfactory dysfunction. [3]

Would it not stand to reason that medical doctors, pediatricians and psychiatrists should investigate zinc levels in cases of mental health concerns?

Sadly, this is not the case as they are not trained in nutrition and most just don’t have time to peruse journals on molecular biology or neurotoxicology and instead are being indoctrinated by pharmaceutical reps advocating Prozac and other SSRIs, best-selling drugs.

A real no-brainer, with the entire population being deficient in zinc and other important nutrients, pun intended.

Zinc and immune system function

Zinc is also an extremely important mineral for normal immune system function and has many roles in controlling inflammation. Certain acute infections, including streptococcal and Lyme disease infections, may trigger the sudden onset of anxiety, depression and OCD symptoms in children and probably adults. Low zinc levels can make it harder to fight off such infections.

Chronic, low-grade infections have been linked to chronic fatigue syndrome and auto-immune conditions, both of which can manifest as depression. [4]

Zinc also has powerful effects on the hormonal system, including testosterone production. Low testosterone levels are linked to depression and low confidence in adult males, which appears to be far more common than previously thought.

Zinc, hormones and depression

I think all male teens with depression should be evaluated for testosterone and zinc levels. I have seen plenty of lethargic young men perk right up with some basic supplementation of calcium, magnesium, vitamin D and zinc.

Teens in particular are fond of junk food as well as the liberal use of alcohol and other intoxicants which further stresses nutrient requirements. Pubertal nutrient status is important for all aspects of normal growth and development. [4]

Considering that 70% of mental health issues start in childhood I think it should be routine to evaluate all children and youth for zinc and other nutritional deficiencies.

This evaluation could constitute a major break-through in preventative medicine and be a great benefit to society due to reduction of costs, suffering, disability and premature death, not to mention increased happiness and productivity for all.

This really is a human rights issue and I am sure we will see these ideas realized in the future.

Meanwhile, look to dedicated naturopathic physicians to investigate and treat the many causes of depression now. Your child is worth it.

Dr. Anke Zimmermann, ND, www.drzimmermann.org

References:

[1] The Toxicology of Aluminum in the Brain: A Review. Yokel, R.A. Neurotoxicology, 2000 Oct; 21(5):813-28

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11130287

[2] Zinc Homeostasis and Function of Zinc in the Brain, A. Takeda, Biometals, 2001 Sep-Dec; 14(3-4):343-51

ink.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-017-3728-9_9

[3] Lower Serum Zinc and Higher CRP Strongly Predict Prenatal Depression and Physio-somatic Symptoms, Which All Together Predict Postnatal Depressive Symptoms.

Roomruangwong C, Kanchanatawan B, Sirivichayakul S et al, Molecular Neurobiology, 2016 Feb 5. [Epub ahead of print]

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12035-016-9741-5

[4] Lower serum zinc in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS): relationships to immune dysfunctions and relevance for the oxidative stress status in CFS.

Maes M¹, Mihaylova I, De Ruyter M., Journal of Affective Disorders. 2006 Feb;90(2-3):141-7. Epub 2005 Dec 9

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16338007

[5] Nutrition and Pubertal Development. Ashraf Soliman et al, Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2014, Nov; 18(suppl 1):S39-S47

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4266867/