Cranium by GDJ comprises public domain materials.

The categories of mental disorders were created by consenus of professionals and published by The American Psychiatric Association as a series of DSMs (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). There are no medical tests that confirm mental disorders, so the DSM relies on groups of symptoms. There were 152 categories in the first DSM published in 1952. The number of disorders increased with each edition until there are now 400 categories in the DSM-V, which was published in 2013. There are a number of criticisms of this process.

Something to consider is that some physiological or medical conditions can produce psychological symptoms. These include hypoglycemia, allergies, high levels of lead, mercury, or manganese, iron deficiency, thiamine deficiency, head injuries, exposure to environmental toxins, and even side effects of prescription drugs. There is also a hypothesis that some co-enzyme variants may not bind as well to nutrients and the resulting deficiency could cause psychological symptoms. Nutritional deficiences may also play a role in the etiology of psychological disorders.

Nutritional psychology is an emerging field that has arisen in part due to concern about side effects of psychotropic drugs and to ongoing research that is showing benefit from supplements and compounds found in certain foods.

Step 1: Review the following resources:

DSM 5 Is Guide Not BibleIgnore Its Ten Worst Changes by Allen J. Frances, M. D. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/dsm5-in-distress/201212/dsm-5-is-guide-not-bible-ignore-its-ten-worst-changes

The DSM: mindful science or mindless power? A critical reviewhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4060802/

High-dose vitamin therapy stimulates variant enzymes with decreased coenzyme binding affinity (increased K_m): relevance to genetic disease and polymorphisms https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/75/4/616/4689367

Nutritional psychiatry: Your brain on food https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/nutritional-psychiatry-your-brain-on-food-201511168626

Eating for Your Neurotransmitters https://www.deannaminich.com/eating-for-your-neurotransmitters/

The Cognitive Benefits of Vitamin C They're nothing to sniffle at. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/201801/the-cognitive-benefits-vitamin-c

The Gut Brain Connection: How Gut Health Affects Mental Health https://www.psycom.net/the-gut-brain-connection

Can Nutrient Deficiency Cause Depression? Deficiencies in Certain Nutrients Can Play a Role in Depression https://www.verywellmind.com/vitamin-for-depression-1065211

Step 2:

Write answer to each of the following questions. Use at least one paragraph for each question.

Questions

1. What are some of the criticisms of the DSM, especially the last one published? Can you think of other ways to determine when symptoms cross the threshold to be considered a mental disorder?

2. What are some of the effects of gut flora on mental health? What are some ways to improve the balance of gut flora?

3. Can exercise and micronutrients help ameliorate the effects of stress and the effects it can have on mental health? Can nutritional deficiences play a role in the etiology of psychological disorders? Explain.