ash

My thoughts are with you and your family.

I can see why you are saying that foods, diet and exercise did not help your son. But, as Coraliz says, they are a very good adjunct to other mental illnesses - especially clinical depression and anxiety states.

Having nursed hundreds and hundreds of people with paranoid schizophrenia, I know exactly what you are saying. If people do not understand the entrenched delusional beliefs (often food poisoning) that large numbers of people with paranoid schipzophrenia have, there is no way that they can understand what your son and your family has suffered.

A young man whom I recently nursed (with paranoid schizophrenia) walked from an area outside of Sydney to Melbourne. He would not eat for fear of poisoning. Obviously, he was a psychiatric and physical mess as a result. We had to put him on a CTO because he did not believe that he was ill.

People who have not lived with or nursed people with paranoid schizophrenia, from my experience, do not have a clue what they are talking about - even though their intentions may be of good will.

Cheers
Kay

What I wrote regarding diet if you read it, was not related to paranoid schizophrenia but the massive rise in depression. Diet certainly won't cure everything, but in many cases it has a beneficial effect. Ashfords reaction is typical, and I am sure is based on his frustration owing to his situation. But the total dismissal of what actually makes our bodies function properly, is rather narrow and fearful.

It also has to do with what you class as a good diet, I for one believe that if you include dairies in your diet, then you don't have a good diet. I know everyone will disagree, but considering our intake of diaries has grown dramatically over the last 50 years, yet mental and physical health is deteriorating, shows that the propaganda regarding these poisonous substances is wrong.

Down here, mental health is completely out of control. Regrettably, the present approaches aren't working and as governments are running away from health support, all the lobbying in the world doesn't appear to be having any effect whatsoever. Considering the growing shift in political priorities away from the people and towards themselves and their vested interests, until people stop voting for these despotic party systems, we have no hope of improving the lot of these poor suffering people, or ourselves.

How do we cater for these people and stabilise them, when the numbers keep growing, do we just keep building more and more facilities and use more and more dugs, with the same present outcomes. Seems like bashing your head into a brick wall, trying to knock it over. Not a good outcome for anyone

The alchemist

I agree with your argument that there is a connection between diet and mental health and have posted to that effect several times on different threads e.g. http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=4056. My feeling however is that there is strong resistance to this line of thought. I won't be deterred from advancing the argument though because I know I really am onto something here.

I have brought myself back from the brink of mental illness as a result of this knowledge and have used it to keep it at bay ever since. It's more than just a healthy diet - it's a diet that corrects faulty blood sugar levels and subsequent glucose levels in the brain. If anyone has both mental health problems and diabetes in their family histories, I really would recommend checking out the connection between Hypoglycemia and mental health.

Julieanne

My heart goes out to you and your family. I am not suggesting that these ideas would have applied to your brother's situation. I realize that many people have serious mental health conditions that require much more than dietary measures and that your brother was very likely one of these. I do hope you find some answers and receive good support in your fight. All the best.

Alchemist/Bronwyn,
Yes even some medical professionals are now linking diet with mental illness, Bronwyn's hypoglemic site previously posted is great, well worth checking out, and in some cases probably can cure, or at least help those with depression.

Steve,
That said, diet is usefull but for the more severe depression, it is a great help, but not a cure sadly, especially long term chronic major depression with associated chronic illness, however I have found both Bronwyn's and Alchemists theories helpfull.

For those of us who suffer long term depression, with a range of associated mental illnesses, it would seem the only answer is permanent drug therapy, and of course the hypoglemic diet. I remember when I was young, a common expression was "If you don't have your health, you have nothing" this is a trueism. Perhaps I am on my own here, however I fail to see the "health benefits" of the Federal Government cutting nearly $1 billion in health funding to the State Health Departments in 2004, enableing them to emass a $11.5 billion surplus. I should make it clear, very clear that I am not advocation all the surplus be spent on mental health, I just find it strange the $1.5 billion can be quietly allocated to the ADF, who may also be in need of funding, however the general health of the Australian people is ignored.

Are weapons of destruction more important than the health of Australia's citizens, we need more University training places for doctors, nurses and other medical professionals, which is a Federal Government responsibility, which is now having to be shared by State Governments who have already had their Health funding cut? Could someone please explain the common sense in this situation, as I do not understand, people before huge surpluses I say...

Julieanne, I share your pain.
To those of the diet/exercise brigade, you are well meaning, but ignorant. Mental illness is not a modern happening, it existed long before mc donalds and food engineering for profit. It also existed before the upper and downer substances used by recent, ill informed generations.
The social pressures and sresses exerted on humans today have contributed to other mental disorders, such as an increase in depression and the inability to cope with daily rat like behaviour, expected of them, resulting in very good consumers and non thinkers.

Mental illness is not a vote getter, people power is needed for change. I would like a lobbying group formed by interested people from all over Australia. I would like suggestions please. jaye10@pacific.net.au

Sarah 10, “To those of the diet/exercise brigade, you are well meaning, but ignorant. Mental illness is not a modern happening, it existed long before mc donalds and food engineering for profit. It also existed before the upper and downer substances used by recent, ill informed generations.”

You certainly aren't well meaning, but are ignorant. If You had read the content of the posts, you'd realise that we who are advocating dietary changes, are mostly relating to the massive increase in depression, not schizophrenia or other metal illnesses that have physiological and biological beginnings.

Sure mental illness has been around before the junk food generation, but most of us are intelligent enough to accept that in the past the population had no idea about food combinations, hygiene, detrimental effects of some foods on various peoples, (allergies) and food preparation. Everyone knows that cooking in aluminum is a recipe for a health disaster, as are diets that lead towards unbalanced intake of vitamins and minerals. These in the past have contributed to metal illness as has the use of lead in utensils.

Neglecting the basis of life, proper nutrition and dietary intake, leads to chemical imbalance in the brain, which results in confusion and mixed brain signals. Thats what you are probably suffering from yourself, chemical imbalance and mixed signals to your brain.

We all know that diet won't cure everything, but because some of us have evolved to the point that we recognise the effects that a bad nutritional approach to life can have, doesn't mean we are ignorant, just the opposite.

It's those that reject, won't entertain, are fearful or have a vested interest, (certain doctors and multinational pharmaceutical companies), that reject the natural approach to helping us to good health are the problem, not those with commonsense and knowledge.

I doubt anyone would be interested in a lobby group that is so biased and closed minded, as how you express.