Fish Oil for Depression

By: Garry Cooper, LCSW

Reprinted with permission from Psychotherapy Networker magazine. Copyright, Psychotherapy Networker, Inc.

 

As the old dichotomies between mind and body fall away, more therapists are thinking seriously about complementary or alternative medicines (CAM). A survey of 424 marriage and family therapists in January’s Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, for example, found that 88 percent of them had recommended some kind of CAM to clients. Among the treatments most commonly endorsed by therapists were massage, guided imagery, relaxation, diet/lifestyle changes, and nutritional supplements.

Even psychiatry is paying attention to CAM. The June, 2006 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry published three favorable studies of the antidepressant effects of omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil). The main article, led by psychiatrist Gordon Parker of Australia’s University of New South Wales, reviews 14 studies and concludes there’s not only a possible link among omega-3 deficiencies and depression, seasonal affective disorder and bipolar disorder, but that omega-3 supplements can be an effective treatment for these conditions. It cites double-blind, placebo-controlled studies in which omega-3 decreased the manic episodes of bipolar disorder, significantly decreased depression, and alleviated both depression and aggression in personality disorders.

The second journal report finds that 7 of 10 children with major depressive disorder who took omega-3 showed at least a 50 percent reduction in depression. Of the 10 other children given an olive oil placebo, none showed a 50 percent reduction.

The third study – also small – finds that low body levels of omega-3 predict suicide attempts over a two-year period.

The three articles don’t hold up omega-3 as a panacea. Several cautions are in order. Merely increasing omega-3 may not be enough. Evidence suggests that an imbalance of too little omega-3 and too much omega-6 (a polyunsaturated fatty acid found in vegetable oils) leads to depressive mood disorders. (A typical American diet has 11 to 30 times more omega-6 than omega-3). Therefore, just increasing omega-3 without decreasing mega-6 might be akin to drinking diet cola along with a high caloric diet and hoping to lose weight. Another reason merely increasing omega-3 may not be a cure-all is that depression isn’t a single disease—different people have different causes and psychological and biological manifestations of it. As Parker points out, the evidence for omega-3’s efficacy, while encouraging, needs buttressing with larger, more finely-tuned studies.