Must I Be Overweight to Have Atypical Depression?

Dr. McLeod

I have many of the symptoms of atypical depression you describe, but I am not overweight. Does that mena I can’t be considered to have atypical depressio.

C.P.

Dear C.P.

Many underweight people, especially when young, are underweight and yet have atypcial depression.  They do have excessive appetites and tend to gain weight as they age.

Please let me know of your experience.

Malcolm McLeod MD

Can an Underweight Person Have Atypical Depression?

Dear Dr. McLeod

Is it possible to be both underweight and have the atypical depression
that you describe that would be helped by chromium supplements? I know
that I have erratic blood sugar problems (glucose testing), depression
beginning in childhood, severe social sensitivity and anxiety, and
issues with being underweight. Would chromium be worth a try?

Thanks,
JJ

ANSWER

Yes indeed, JJ.  In many people atypical depression begins when they are young and trim.  They do have excessive appetites and tend to gain weight over the years.

Malcolm McLeod, MD

Are SAD and Atypical Depression the Same?

Dr. McLeod,

Are Seasonal Affective Disorder and Atypical Depression the same disorder?  My psychologist tells me I suffer from SAD, but as I was reading your book, it sounds like I have Atypical Depression.  Confused. Help. Thanks.

CR

ANSWER

Dear CR,

Seasonal Affective Disorder (also known as SAD and winter blues) and Atypical Depression (AD) share many of the same symptoms.   These include depression, cravings for carbohydrates, a tendency to gain weight,  loss of energy, oversleeping, heightened sensitivity to rejection, social isolaltion, and difficulty concentrating.  SAD and Atypical Depression are different, however.  In SAD depression usually begins in the the late fall or early winter months, and lifts when spring arrives, whereas AD can occur at any time during the year. People with AD often complain of a heavingess of their arms and legs, referred to as leaden paralysis. AD often starts in the teenage years.

What causes these disorders? An imbalalce of chemical messengers (neurotransmitters) are thought to play a role in causing AD. If you have a biological family member with AD or alcoholism, you may be more suspectible to AD. Childhood physical and/or sexual abuse. and loss of a parent may predispose a person to AD.

The causes of SAD are not known for certain, but SAD is thought to be caused by a reduced amount of light which changes

• your biological clock (circadian rhythm) and lowers mood
•  serotonin levels, and  
• melatonin levels, which play a role in sleep regulation and mood.

What is the treatment for these conditions?

Phototherapy (light therapy) and medications (including melatonin) are often used to treat SAD. Psychotherapy and medications are used to treat AD. 

Based on a small amount of data, I think that chromium, as chromium picolinate, might be helpful in these disorders.  The FDA has not reviewed this claim.

I would be pleased to receive a followup from  you.

Malcolm McLeod, MD

Chromium’s Help with Mood and Concentration

Hi Dr. Mcleod,

This is a comment and a question. But first, I want to say I’m very
happy you have done this research on chromium. I have known about the
benifits of this mineral for years. Read more

Chromium, Moodiness and Atypical Depression

Dr. McLeod,

I have just had a moment that I believe I have suffered from atypical depression most of my life (since I was a kid). Read more

PCOS, Depression and Chromium

Dr. McLeod,

I ran across your website while researching depression.  Read more

Does Chromium Help Tryptophan Enter the Brain?

Dear Dr. McLeod

Thank you so much for your work on chromium and depression.  Here is my question: I know that tryptophan is a precursor of serotonin, and that brain levels of serotonin are involed in depression.  Has any research been conducted to answer the question whether chromium helps tryptophan enter the brain?

ANSWER:

Yes. Research on this topic has been conducted by a group on splendid investigators in the Department of Psychiatry at Warneford Hospital in Oxford, England.  They concluded that “Chromium can modify brain 5-HT function in humans and animals, perhaps by altering the sensitivity of central 5-HT(2A) receptors.”  This may be the mechanism whereby chromium helps some people.  I would certainly like to see more research on this topic.

Thank you for  your question.

Malcolm N. McLeod, MD

Chromium helps carb cravings in atypical depression

study. Moreover, many of my patients, like you, have been able to decrease their antidepressant medications. You might want to add exercise to your regimen.

Chromium helps carb cravings in atypical depression

Dear Dr. McLeod
I have been struggling with atypical depression for years. Depression, binge eating due to overwhelming carb cravings, weight gain, oversleeping, debilitating fatigue, extreme sensitivity to rejection… all worsening over the months and years in severity and eventually leading to suicidal ideation. I went on Lexapro which helped keep me alive and allowed me to function from day to day, even though I never felt whole and healed. And it never touched the carb cravings. I eventually added therapy and noticed concrete, steady improvement and the possibility in my mind of eventually achieving long term mental health. Oh, but still those carb cravings. They really wouldn’t budge.Then I read an article on Chromium for atypical depression and I decided to try it… 600 mcg qd. Within days I noticed a difference. Within two weeks I had cut my Lexapro from 10 mg qd to 5 mg qd. Within 5 weeks I quit taking the Lexapro altogether. On a scale of 0-100, my carb cravings have dropped from a raging 100 to a very manageable 10. It is the most liberating experience. I thank God for freedom from those chains. Willpower never even entered into that equation. I continue with the therapy, will probably be there for several months more. But thanks to the Chromium I feel I now have real hope, a chance to go forward, do the work I need to do, heal and find real peace. In short, the effect of Chromium on my mental health has felt nothing short of miraculous.Thank you for your work and for allowing me to share that. VC

Dear VC

Thank you so much for contacting me. I have observed reduction in carbohydrate cravings in atypical depression in many patients, and this finding has been confirmed by a large, placebo-controlled, double-blinded

I read your report to a psychiatric resident whom I supervise. (A resident is a medical-school graduate who is specializing in a particular branch of medicine.) He was impressed and asked, “Why don’t more people take chromium?” I told him it’s because chromium is not an expensive drug that is “hyped” by big pharma.

I hope your testimonial and that of others will help the word “get around” so that others can be helped. For that reason I wrote Lifting Depression. The second edition will hit the shelves in July of 2009.

Thank you again for contacting me.
Malcolm McLeod, MD

Another depressed person responds to chromium

Another depressed person responds to chromium

I have received hundreds of emails that support my discovery that chromium is useful in the treatment and prevention of the type of depression associated with carbohydrate craving. Here is the most recent account:

Dear Dr. McLeod,
I came across your website and your book after trying to look for the connection between chromium and depression on the Internet. I was looking to see if there was any information about the connection, because I in fact knew that there was through personal experience, even though I hadn’t until today read anything to confirm it. I first started taking Chromium about 2 or 3 years ago in an attempt to stop sugar cravings and lost a bit of weight. I was certain that — as well as giving me more energy and motivation — chromium also improved my moods! I suffer from mild Dysthymia and despite knowing why at times I feel ‘down and depressed’, other times I am simply taken over by feelings of despair, sadness and absolute emptiness. At times these are due to my hormones, I have very high oestrogen, but at other times the feelings just come and go with no reason at all! I can definitely say that Chromium stabilises these feelings and has a 100% positive effect on depression which I recognised a few years ago now. I then stopped taking it, partly because I was feeling better and partly because of the apparent side effects, however for the past 8 months I have gone back to feeling very depressed and just started taking them again today; I can feel the difference already.

Your book will inform many people about the benefits of Chromium, if taken sensibly and with an informed mind set! You may publish my response to chromium on your blog. I hope it will be useful to others. Doctors should suggest chromium instead of anti-depressants which mask feelings!
Best Wishes,
E.N.

Another person with atypical depression responds to chromium

Another person with atypical depression responds to chromium

Dr. McLeod,
I wanted to share with you my story about Chromium Picolinate. I’ve dealt with very strong sugar cravings most of my life, and on a random recommendation from someone, I decided to try chromium picolinate to see if it would help. Little did I know what it would do for me.
Within two days, I realized it was having an effect on other symptoms that I’ve struggled with for over 20 years, and have seen doctors about, but to no avail. I’ve dealt with insomnia (difficulty in falling asleep and being very restless) and fatigue most prevalently; but I’ve also felt depressed at times and have had mild social anxiety issues for as long as I can remember. I figured the last two were more of a personal failing than biological, but I had been seeking solutions for the first two for quite awhile (medicine, change of diet and exercise, etc.). Some success, but things never quite felt right. So I started taking CrPic, and all of these symptoms cleared up within two days. I felt like I went to sleep and woke up in a new body. This was so odd that I did some research on “chromium and depression” and found your book. I felt like I was reading about myself in your descriptions of atypical depression. It never dawned on me that perhaps there was a description that encompassed the symptoms I’ve had. I’ve been waiting for the effects to die off, but fortunately they haven’t. My carbohydrate cravings have all but disappeared. It’s literally been a life-changer for me. Although I’ve learned to cope pretty well, I know that my work and social life have felt the effects. And here’s something strange that I don’t know if you’ve run into: I’ve had a habit of biting my nails for over 25 years and I’ve never been successful in kicking the habit. In the last two weeks, the impulse behind that action has disappeared, and I haven’t bitten them since. I don’t know if there’s a connection to a less anxious and stable mood, but I feel as if there is a biological connection as well. I’m more “settled” internally, such that it seems to have short-circuited the impulse.
One last observation: when I was seeing the doctor about my fatigue awhile back, I had some blood work done and he mentioned that the tests showed that my blood sugar levels were in the pre-diabetic stage. This was another piece of the puzzle that seemed to correspond to atypical depression, and that CrPic was a genuine solution, and not just a placebo.
Thanks very much for your research in this area. I’m convinced it’s helping a lot of people.

Name withheld by request

Dear Sir,

Thank you so much for contacting me and telling me your story. I have had many patients who shortly after beginning to take chromium picolinate have responded exactly as you describe, with rapid lifting of carbohydrate craving, lifting of depression, improved sleep and less anxiety. You are the first person who has reported cessation of nail biting. Your explanation – that stopping nail biting is the result of less anxiety—sounds plausible to me.

Again, thank you for sharing your story. I will post it on my blog with the hope that others will see themselves in your account and will derive benefit from CrPic.

Malcolm N. McLeod, MD

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