Biochemical subtypes associated with depression, anxiety, behaviour disorders and schizophrenia

The standard treatment approach for correcting biochemistry in a person suffering from a mental health problem such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, etc, comprises prescribing some form of medication (e.g, antidepressants). While this can be very helpful for a portion of people (approximately 30%) its effectiveness is far from ideal. In fact, a number of studies have actually shown that antidepressant medication is only slightly more effective than a placebo.

Increasing research is now looking at how treatments can be more individualised with the hope of matching treatments to a particular person. The problem with our current treatment model is that it relies on diagnosing people with a mental health disorder (e.g., depression, schizophrenia, panic disorder, ADHD) but does little to identify specific causes. While two people may be suffering from symptoms of depression, the causes could be very different, and therefore the the treatments should be modified accordingly.

Doctors’ Carl Pfeiffer, Abram Hoffer, and William Walsh have spent decades trying to identify unique biochemical profiles in people suffering from mental health problems. Dr Walsh in particular has amassed a huge database of blood and urine samples of over 30,000 patients and searched for biochemical differences between healthy people and mentally unwell people. His work has been truly amazing and he has identified a number of biochemical abnormalities that are associated with mental health problems. His treatment comprises using specialised biochemical tests to identify abnormalities in a specific person and then treating according (mostly through nutrients). Some of these biochemical abnormalities include:

Methylation disorders – Many people with depression (38% undermethylated and 20% overmethylated), schizophrenia (28% undermethylated and 42% overmethylated), ADHD, eating disorders, and anxiety disorders (including OCD) suffer from problems associated with methylation. Methylation is important as it greatly impacts on important neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline. These neurotransmitters have been found to be impaired in mental health disorders. Many psychiatric medications work by modifying these neurotransmitters.

Dr Walsh categories people into over- or under-methylation and the treatment is greatly different based the type of problem a person has. In fact, taking the wrong medications or supplements can actually make things worse for a person. For example, folic acid supplements are not good for undermethylators (who are low in serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline) but are greatly helpful for overmethylators (who are high in serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline).

Pyroluria – this is a condition where excess pyrroles are excreted in urine. This has the effect of lowering levels of vitamin B6 and zinc and can increase stress in the body resulting from an overload of free radicals. It also leads to lowered levels of serotonin and GABA in the brain. Many people with mental health problems suffer from pyroluria (20% of schizophrenics and 15% of depressed people) and treatments comprise the administration of zinc and vitamin B6. People with pyroluria are susceptible in times of stress

Copper overload – Dr Walsh identified that copper overload (and zinc deficiency) is common in mental health disorders including depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and behavioural/ conduct disorders. It is also a common problem in ADHD. The zinc /copper ratio is important and having excess copper will lead to excess levels of noradrenaline and lowered levels of the feel good neurotransmitter dopamine. The key to treatment is therefore to correct this imbalance.

Dr Walsh has identified a number of other subtypes of biochemical balances associated with a large range of mental health problem. The good news is that many of these can be identified through appropriate interviews and specialised testing and when corrected, can result in dramatic improvements in mental health. In fact, Dr Walsh’s findings show success rates much higher than those achieved with standard treatment. This is likely because of the individualised approach he uses and his efforts at identifying and treating causes rather than symptoms.

If you would like to be assessed for these biochemical imbalances, you are not likely to get it done by your GP or psychiatrist. Unfortunately, Dr Walsh’s approach is not well-known by mainstream medicine. It requires specialised training in biochemistry and nutritional medicine… something that is not undertaken by mainstream medical practitioners.