[SA Chris]

https://www.wavelengthmag.com/2000-world-champ-sunny-garcia-intensive-care-suicide-attempt/?goal=0_25a9ca0d9d-a3026ac932-133807721&mc_cid=a3026ac932&mc_eid=a24970269f

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-48135091

No matter how charmed a life appears from the outside, everyone has their struggles.

I'm halfway through reading this

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Reasons-Stay-Alive-Matt-Haig/dp/1782116826/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=reasons+to+stay+alive&qid=1556875508&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Recommend it to anyone who struggles with, or knows anyone who is struggling with depression. Insightful and positive. I'm happy to post it on to anyone who would like to read it once I'm done.

[user deactivated]

Thanks for sharing Chris, as it says in the fantastic WHO video

“The Black Dog is an equal opportunity mongrel”

I know my other posts on here are often pretty daft, annoying etc. But Mental Health is something I’m very passionate about.

[user deactivated]

[SA Chris]

Thanks Dan, that vid was the first post in this thread, so worth revisiting.

[Andy F]

It's mental health week.

Huge shout out to anyone who's suffered, is suffering or helping sufferers.

Never give up

[TobyD]

This is a great interview:

https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/health/2019/05/how-alastair-campbell-confronting-westminster-s-mental-health-crisis
*full disclosure it's by my brother so I would say that, but I think its objectively good  anyway.

[SA Chris]

Is Alastair Campbell your brother? Kidding, good interview.

[petejh]

Just a quickie that might be of interest to some people on this thread...

People interested in having their genes tested with a company such as 23andme etc. might like to trawl their raw data for which COMT gene variations they have. Lots of interesting research around the link between the different COMT gene variations and how they affect the body's ability to process stress hormones and neurotransmitters. Also interesting associations between COMT gene variation and ability (or lack of) to focus and concentrate.

DRD2 gene also an interesting one to take a look at - either increases or decreases dopamine signalling depending on which variation.

All useful info for anyone suffering from poor stress response.

[slab_happy]

Just a quickie that might be of interest to some people on this thread...

People interested in having their genes tested with a company such as 23andme etc. might like to trawl their raw data for which COMT gene variations they have. Lots of interesting research around the link between the different COMT gene variations and how they affect the body's ability to process stress hormones and neurotransmitters. Also interesting associations between COMT gene variation and ability (or lack of) to focus and concentrate.

DRD2 gene also an interesting one to take a look at - either increases or decreases dopamine signalling depending on which variation.

All useful info for anyone suffering from poor stress response.

Did the COMT stuff give you any pointers re: things you could do that helped? Last time I read up on that, I didn't run into  info about specific stuff that works better or worse depending on those variations, but I don't know what the start of the art is.

(Whereas finding out that I'm compound heterozygous for MTHFR and adding a super low dose of methylfolate to my meds cocktail has been super-useful for me.)

[petejh]

So I'm Val/Val (i.e. G/G) for the COMT rs4680 variant, so supposedly more of the 'warrior' than the 'worrier', i.e. I'm less prone to ruminate over previous failures. I supposedly produce greater amount of the enzyme that breaks down stress hormones, so don't suffer prolonged negative effects of stress as easily as other variants.

So I haven't researched very hard for information on beneficial actions because it doesn't feel like an issue for me.

I'm still reading around the subject however and learning more..

The trade-off is that I'm supposedly not as adept at concentration and focus under normal conditions; but under conditions of stress or new experiences my focus is less impaired than norm. So not great at repetitive tasks or focused study.


I'm like you for MTHFR. Only discovered this year. I'm not looking good in multiple of the MTHFR gene variants: MTHFR, MTHFRD1, MTHRR. All significantly impaired for methylation. I've recently started taking choline (mostly via lecithin and eggs), vit B12, and supplemental creatine. I'm extremely active (in fits and starts) but have had periods of fatigue over the years.. who knows..


BTW for a good site that runs free reports (I guess they get to keep your DNA data, so not 'free') try 'foundmyfitness'. Good for nutrition info too.

[joel182]

The trade-off is that I'm supposedly not as adept at concentration and focus under normal conditions; but under conditions of stress or new experiences my focus is less impaired than norm. So not great at repetitive tasks or focused study.

Very wary of trying to link genotype to broad behavioural profiles. Hard to find quantitative results just flicking through some abstracts linked from snpedia

What I can find seems to suggest only a small effect:


"In spite of the strong effect of the COMT genotype on enzyme activity, its effects on behavior are moderate, accounting for only 4% of variance in task performance."

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16878403?dopt=Abstract

[slab_happy]

FWIW: the methylfolate was slow to have an effect, but I started noticing changes after several months, and after a year, there's been a very major improvement -- it raises the "floor" under my mood dips, and has seriously improved my executive functioning.

I haven't changed the overall dose of B-vits I'm taking, just switched folate to methyfolate.

I'd already noticed that I need to supplement B-vitamins (but that too high a dose does bad things to my anxiety), which is one reason why I did the whole 23andme thing in the first place -- was curious to see if anything would show up re: MTHFR.

On the other hand, I've seen at least one paper arguing that people with treatment-resistant depression are SO likely to have at least one variant MTHFR SNP that there's little gain in testing, you might as well cut to the chase and give everyone with treatment-resistant depression some methylfolate to augment any other treatments and see if it helps.

[petejh]

The trade-off is that I'm supposedly not as adept at concentration and focus under normal conditions; but under conditions of stress or new experiences my focus is less impaired than norm. So not great at repetitive tasks or focused study.

Very wary of trying to link genotype to broad behavioural profiles. Hard to find quantitative results just flicking through some abstracts linked from snpedia

What I can find seems to suggest only a small effect:


"In spite of the strong effect of the COMT genotype on enzyme activity, its effects on behavior are moderate, accounting for only 4% of variance in task performance."

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16878403?dopt=Abstract

Completely agree. I thought the subject might be of interest to some on this thread, chiefly those who like to delve into the nuts and bolts of how the body works.
I don't actually go around believing 'I have this SNP, therefore I will have this behaviour' if that's what it came across as. I'm just raising awareness of some theories around the subject, for others to do their own research and see if any of it might be of help to them.

[DAVETHOMAS90]

Fantastic video from Russell Brand:



Re the way "the body works", I find it creates problems for me if I view my body as a separate discrete "bean" - somehow disconnected, in and of itself.

I often try to put myself in difficult situations - often where there isn't the luxury of being able to think about loss of one form or another, where critical engagement is the only option.

Other ways of doing this, are activities where "feeling the balance" is the place you need to occupy - even thinking about that helps, because it's something you can't grasp. (Think slackline or handstands perhaps. Used to be soloing.)

The spiritual values that Russell espouses are all about being part of the world and life around us.

Going back to ideas about "body", I find it helpful to think in terms of "What bodiness/embodiment do I experience connectivity with life/the world around me through?". This isn't about identifying it, or "owning" it, but more experiencing where it's happening.

[Falling Down]

Good post Dave (though I’ve not watched the video).

Being embodied is a natural way of being and becoming embodied is, in itself a healing process.  Hence the value of exercise, gardening, yoga, climbing, swimming, dance and other gentle ways of coming into the body.

It’s also why ‘mental health’ as a phrase can be counterproductive.

[Oldmanmatt]

Bloody 48 years old.



And I still sn**gered at “gentle ways of coming into the body”...

[Falling Down]

   too late to edit now ha!

[nik at work]

A dark day.

[tomtom]

A dark day.

You ok Nik?

[nik at work]

I think so, yesterday wasn't great.

Apologies for the rum induced cryptic post last night...

[tomtom]

I think so, yesterday wasn't great.

Apologies for the rum induced cryptic post last night...

Good 👍

[Offwidth]

Womans hour today had a really good piece on the chronic underfunding of teenage mental health support. Shocking stuff.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000612b

[duncan]

After several years of hinting at this, Dave MacLeod's experience with diet and mental health.

[Fiend]

One snoozes, one loses, by a whole 45 minutes....

Quite likely one for PeteJH as "The Inflammed Mind" came to mind just looking at the references.

[SA Chris]

Good time to resurrect this, everything must feel like a struggle for many right now. If anyone want to talk please do.