Mental health

The link between B12 deficiency and psychiatric symptoms… 

Was discovered in the early 1900’s by Dr Melvin Hector and Dr John Burton but vitamin B12 deficiency may not be considered as a cause for poor mental health leading to misdiagnosis.

It is often shocking to health care professionals that vitamin B12 deficiency can cause psychosis and that depression can be one of the first presenting symptoms. It is important to note here that folate deficiency can also have a serious impact on your mental health; many drugs are known folate antagonists, which deplete this vital co factor to vitamin B12.

Familiarising yourself with the following symptoms and sharing information will help to raise awareness. You may also be interested to read the case studies of Paul, Sara and Tom.

Please see more journals.

Signs and symptoms:

• Confusion/disorientation
• Depression
• Psychosis  
• Postnatal depression
• Hallucinations
• Memory loss
• Delusion
• Suicidal thoughts
• Mania – abnormally elated mental state
• Anxiety
• Paranoia – unfounded or exaggerated distrust of others 
• Irritability
• Apathy – lack of feelings or emotions
• Personality changes
• Inappropriate sexual behaviour
• Violent/aggressive behaviour
• Schizophrenic symptoms
• Sleep disturbances – disruption of sleep patterns outside of environmental factors
• Insomnia – inability to sleep
• Changes in taste, smell, vision, and sensory/motor function which can be mistaken for psychiatric problems

  
  Please see a full list of B12 deficiency symptoms here.

B12 deficiency and Alzheimer’s and Bipolar

Poor mental health can often pigeon hole people cementing a diagnosis with rare reassessment. As you can see from above the symptoms could easily lead an unknowing doctor to the wrong diagnosis. The Neuropsychiatric (Mental health) symptoms of B12 deficiency can start long before the development of anaemia. 

The reason I created this site was because a loved one was misdiagnosed with bipolar. Each doctor I talked to knew nothing about vitamin B12 deficiency. It took some time and considerable persuasion to access vitamin B12 injections. 

Can you imagine being sectioned due to an undiagnosed vitamin deficiency? Feeling isolated from society, estranged from loved ones,  quietly deteriorating whilst being given antidepressants, antipsychotics and mood stabilisers, some of which can deplete B12 levels further.

Exposure to toxins 

Exposure to toxic gases such as carbon monoxide and cyanide deplete B12 and victims may present with depression and psychosis. Please see the Toxins page.

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