Feeling better with fish oil.Preliminary evidence suggests that a nutritional supplement, omega-3 fatty acids This is a list of omega-3 fatty acids. Common name Lipid name Chemical name α-Linolenic acid (ALA) 18:3 (n-3) octadeca-9,12,15-trienoic acid Stearidonic acid 18:4 (n-3) octadeca-6,9,12,15-tetraenoic acid from fish oils, helps stabilize the volatile moods of people suffering from manic depression Noun 1. manic depression - a mental disorder characterized by episodes of mania and depression bipolar disorder, manic depressive illness, manic-depressive psychosis , also known as bipolar disorder bipolar disorder, formerly manic-depressive disorder or manic-depression, severe mental disorder involving manic episodes that are usually accompanied by episodes of depression. . Omega-3 fatty acids may share biochemical actions with lithium and valproate valproate /val·pro·ate/ (val-pro´at) a salt of valproic acid; the sodium salt has the same uses as the acid. val·pro·ate n. , say psychiatrist Andrew L. Stoll of McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass., and his colleagues. Those medications are commonly used, with varying success, to treat manic-depressive patients. The researchers recruited 30 patients receiving drugs for manic depression. Over 4 months, 14 of the volunteers also received high daily doses of omega-3 fatty acids in capsules containing fish-oil concentrate. The rest took olive-oil placebos. Initially, all patients showed mild symptoms of mania or depression. Eleven of those receiving omega-3 fatty acids improved or maintained their emotional condition during the study, compared with 6 of the 16 patients taking placebos, the scientists report in the May ARCHIVES OF GENERAL PSYCHIATRY Archives of General Psychiatry is a monthly professional medical journal published by the American Medical Association. Archives of General Psychiatry publishes original, peer-reviewed articles about psychiatry, mental health, behavioral science and related fields. . More intensive studies of the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on manic depression are needed, comment psychiatrist Joseph R. Calabrese of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland and his colleagues in a commentary accompanying the study. |
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