10 million GP Visits a Year for Mental Healthcare

I was concerned but not overly surprised to learn that over 10 million visits were made by Australians to GP’s for mental health conditions in the 2006-07 financial year.[1]

The findings, released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, also reveal depression was the most common mental health problem managed by GPs (34%), followed by anxiety (16%) and sleep disturbance (14%). [2]

The main treatment available through a GP for depression or anxiety are anti-depressants. While these are very effective in most cases, they also come with a range of side-effects that can leave the sufferer wondering about the actual benefits of taking the drug.

In clinical practice, I also see more and more women who have been prescribed an anti-depressant for emotional disturbances relating to PMS. Many say they feel trapped as they can’t cope with their PMS symptoms but don’t feel they need to take a daily anti-depressant. Often testing of these patients reveals hormone imbalances that may be contributing to mental state at certain times of the month.

I also see from my clients' food & mood diet diary’s, the direct relationship between food intake, mood and symptoms of depression, pain or anxiety. How often someone eats can also impact on their mood and level of anxiety.

Maintaining blood sugars is something we usually attribute to diabetics but the brain must have glucose ( sugars from carbohydrates) to function properly. When we don’t eat often enough and our blood sugars  become low we tend to feel tired, agitated, confused and generally less alert. So managing blood sugar levels can be very important to improving mental health.

Certain nutrients are essential for the body and mind to work optimally and create the chemicals required for mental balance. So while many people continue to take their anti-depressant they may be missing a key factor by not addressing their nutrient intake and balancing their blood sugars.

Many herbal medicines also have evidence to support their use in mild to moderate depression and anxiety, that could help to avoid the side-effects associated with pharmaceutical anti-depressants.

Book an appointment with a naturopathic case manager today to discuss your health care issues, or register for our Food & Mood Workshop.