Bipolar disorder
From The Nutritional Health Bible by Linda Lazarides (1997). This free database is provided for interest only. Linda's later writings refer to more up-to-date research.
Some causative factors- Vitamin C deficiency
- Vanadium excess.
In a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, manic-depressive and depressed patients given a single dose of 3 grams vitamin C improved significantly. In addition, both manic and depressed patients were significantly better on a reduced intake of vanadium. Naylor GJ et al: Vanadium: a possible aetiological factor in manic depressive illness. Psychol Med 11(2):249-56, 1981.
In 5 out of 6 manic patients given lecithin supplements in a double-blind placebo-controlled trial, improvement was significantly greater than improvement with placebo. Cohen BM et al: Lecithin in the treatment of mania: double-blind, placebo-controlled trials. Am J Psychiatry 139(9):1162-4, 1982.
75 patients on lithium therapy for manic depressive illness were given 200 mcg folic acid or a placebo. Those with the highest plasma folate concentrations were found to show the most significant reductions in symptoms. Coppen A et al: Folic acid enhances lithium prophylaxis. J Affect Disord 10(1):9-13, 1986.
Therapies based on decreasing vanadium levels in the body, including vitamin C, have been reported to be effective in both depressive illness and mania. Naylor GJ: Vanadium and manic depressive psychosis. Nutr Health 3(1-2):79-85, 1984.