A recent study found that vegans and or vegetarians were at double the risk of major depression compared to omnivores. "I don't know that it's always double the risk, but it's sometimes not that high," he says. The government should fund a large-scale randomized controlled trial on dieters who are more likely to suffer from depression than those with other chronic conditions.
Christopher Palmer, MD, is the Director of the Department of Postgraduate and Continuing Education at McLean Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. For over 27 years he’s held administrative, educational, research, and clinical roles in psychiatry. His new book, Brain Energy: A Revolutionary Breakthrough in Understanding Mental Health—and Improving Treatment for Anxiety, Depression, OCD, PTSD, and More, is out now.