Episode 1- Psychiatric Pretenders

Are you crazy? Did you really mean to say that to Mark as you were leaving the office. Probably not, you’re just having a bad day he’ll understand. You just get a bit “hangry” around 3pm. Time to get a cheeky bit of chocolate to pick you up- no-one will know that the fitness kick you have been raving about will be on the back burner for another day.

Poor Mark got his head bitten off for no reason! (Well you might have had a reason-he is a bit annoying- but still this is not how you want to act).

Does this sound familiar?

Everyone is pretty au fait with the term “Hangry” where you are irritable because you need to eat.

When your blood sugar falls, the hormones cortisol and adrenaline (epinephrine) are released in an attempt to raise it back to normal. Your body thinks it’s in an emergency and so it sends these hormones/neurotransmitters to deal with it.

But those hormones also happen to lead to irritability. Not only are they at play here but Neuropeptide Y also helps create a hungry feeling when your body needs more food—and it's  linked to aggression as well…which explains why poor Mark copped it.

At these times we often go for the quick sugary fix, as our body is wanting us to get sugar in as fast as possible. But being quick acting these food sources then cause a spike in blood glucose levels that inevitably leads to another crash—and you'll be acting like a crankpot all over again. Your body particularly craves sugar as it helps the brain uptake neurotransmitters faster. So… it’s kind of not your fault that chocolate was oh so tempting (not to mention when you crave chocolate you are really craving magnesium which helps calm the nervous system & muscles).

You’re not really crazy, that’s a relief… your blood glucose drop just made you feel that way for a moment.

But what are some other “psychiatric pretenders” that may show themselves as depression, anxiety, fatigue & brain fog?

Here are the top 5:

1. Blood sugar instability

2. Gluten Intolerance

3. Medications e.g. PPI (proton pump inhibitors that are used to treat reflux)

4. B12 deficiency

5. Thyroid autoimmunity

This doesn’t mean that other things don’t contribute or cause these conditions. But these states/substances can make you act like or seem to have mood instability.

Sugar is the most important and prevalent. If it is out of whack it may lead you to be accidentally diagnosed as having: anxiety, poor concentration, ADHD, panic attack &, bipolar disorder. It has an addictive potential that is unparrelled. It gives you the short term gain for the long term suffering, especially if it’s from processed foods- thats one hell of a roller coaster for your body to go on.

Gluten can cause symptoms in celiacs and non-celiacs. You can have sensitivity or intolerance but not necessarily “celiac disease” which is much more severe. Eating gluten can leave you foggy, depressed and it is linked to autoimmune conditions such as lupus and MS.

The NEJM reported a case where a 37yr old female with a restraining order was admitted to hospital with thyroid symptoms. She was found to be gluten intolerant (not celiac) and after being put on a gluten free diet for 2 months she was off all psychiatric medication and back to her baseline.

Gluten increases abdominal bloating and pain, stomatitis, depression and brain fog. Gluten also has an emotional effect on us, people blindfolded in another study knew when they were eating gluten. It has an almost “opiate” like action on us.

But why is it only a problem now when we have been eating it