These are just some of the claims
made in a controversial new book, Beating Stress,
Anxiety and Depression, which proposes a raft of
unorthodox lifestyle and dietary treatments for
beating the blues.The
authors of the book, Jane Plant and Janet
Stephenson, are two of the UK's most eminent mental
health experts: Plant is the British government's
chief adviser on toxic chemicals, while Stephenson
is a psychologist with the NHS.
Both women have also battled
mental illness themselves. In their introduction,
they write: "We are aware how little conventional
medicine and psychiatry were able to help us. In the
depths of our despair we could not believe we could
ever be well again.
"Thankfully, we are both now well
and happy and want to share with you all we know
about how we, and many others, have regained
health."
One of the methods they suggest is
smiling, even when -- especially when -- you don't
feel like it. "Smiling is a way of tricking your
brain into thinking that everything's OK, even if
it's not," Plant has said.
They also advocate that sufferers
eat sushi and seaweed, as well as having kippers and
haddock for breakfast so as to increase the intake
of mood-lifting omega-3 fatty acids.
Other tips on how to feel happier
include sending fewer texts and emails (which are
"isolating processes", according to the authors),
ignoring celebrity culture to bolster your own
self-esteem, and playing darts, dominoes or card
games.
There is certainly an audience for
this type of book in Ireland. According to mental
health charity Aware, some 400,000 people experience
depression in this country.
Stress and anxiety are also
commonplace: about one in 50 people are affected by
general anxiety disorder (GAD) in their lifetime,
while a survey carried out by recruitment
specialists Robert Half International this summer
found that more than one-third of Irish people
suffered from work-related stress at some point in
their careers.
But what do professionals make of
the claims? "Lifestyle changes can help to alleviate
some of the symptoms associated with milder bouts of
depression or stress," says Sandra Hogan from Aware.
"Eating healthier foods and exercising regularly
help us all to maintain our mental well-being as
much as our physical.
"Changes to diet can have a
positive impact, especially when it comes to
reducing the intake of substances like coffee, cola
and chocolate, all of which stimulate the central
nervous system and increase heart rate and anxiety
levels."
Plant and Stephenson's book
arrives here in the wake of studies that have called
into question the effectiveness of drugs like
Prozac. Does that lend the authors' alternative
approaches more credibility?
"The reality is that different
treatments or combinations of treatments work for
different people suffering from depression," Hogan
says. "We know medication works well for many
people, and talking therapies work for others.
"However, it's always wise to seek
professional, qualified advice for each case, rather
than simply applying tips from a book. The holistic
approach, which may involve medication, nutrition
therapy and emotional and social support, is usually
best. Unfortunately, people in this country don't
have access to a broad range of therapies."
Psychologist Karen Belshaw, stress
consultant with VHI Healthcare, says that there are
often ways to tackle stress and anxiety without
popping pills.
"I do think medication has its
place in the world, but it's all about getting the
balance right," she says. "There are a lot of stress
cases that can be dealt with just by making
lifestyle changes and through relaxation techniques.
"There's a simple breathing
exercise where you inhale and count to four, and
exhale and count to five, and do that for three to
five minutes," she says.
"The other method that I highly
recommend is controlling your directional beliefs.
This means stopping thoughts that exacerbate stress
from building up in your head.
So each time you find yourself
worrying about something, give yourself a positive
command such as 'Stop: I'm doing the best I can'."
Belshaw's general rule regarding
stress is to acknowledge that it is always going to
be there, and so learn to manage it.
"The thing about stress is that
people often don't realise that it's building up in
them in the first place," she says.
"When it does make itself known,
they don't know what to do with it.
"If you have a regular routine
where you get to relax, this can help to release any
anxieties and tensions that can cause stress in the
first place."
Beating Stress, Anxiety and
Depression by Jane Plant and Janet Stephenson,€14.99
