Can deppression be a sign of an allergy??

Question

I am a care provider and my client has several "allergies" but I have noticed that when she gets severly depressed she says that she is having an allergic reaction to whatever I may have given her to eat just minutes before. There is no rash or shortness of breath or any other symptoms of an allergic reaction, but she says that fear and depression are HER symptoms. I have never heard of fear and depression being associated with an allergic reaction.....could I be wrong?

Answer 1

While the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) says that food allergies may be accompanied by "a sense of 'impending doom,'" in the absence of other symptoms, I think you can be about 99.9% sure that it's not a food allergy. It sounds like she's just trying to explain her depression, and while she may find comfort in thinking it's because of an allergy, in the long run I don't think this will help her come to terms with the depression or to seek appropriate treatment for it, if she isn't already receiving treatment.

For more information on food allergy, have a look at the resources on this page:

http://www.wegohealth.com/asthma-allergy-community/food-allergy

That's where I found the AAFP page, and there are a bunch of other good allergy pages referenced.

Some people with other types of hypersensitivity (classic allergy is Type 1 hypersensitivity), have reported depression or hyperactivity in conjunction with certain foods. These claims are of dubious scientific merit, however, from what I understand. In addition, reactions of any kind associated with these forms of hypersensitivity generally appear after more time elapses. It sounds like her "reaction" is pretty immediate.

As one poster said, you probably won't be able to convince her that it's not a food allergy, so maybe you should consider conducting an earnest investigation into it, which may ease her concerns or, more unlikely, actually discover a real reaction to certain foods. Simply keep a food diary of everything she eats, and see if her anxiety and depression consistently worsen with certain foods. If they do, it might be worthwhile to have her avoid those foods or at least to speak to her doctor or allergist about it. If the symptoms seem to appear randomly, food probably isn't the culprit.

If she isn't receiving treatment of some kind for her depression and/or anxiety, I urge you to report those symptoms to her doctor or to get her to see a doctor about it herself.

I recommend having a look at this page for more information on anxiety and depression:

http://www.wegohealth.com/depression/anxiety-depression

Hope that helps. Good luck!

Dan

Answer 2

I kinda doubt it.

There is a possibility that she has allergies that are always making her tired and depressed (sometimes fatigue can be mistaken for depression, and vice versa). She could know that something is affecting her and that depression she feels is unnatural, and so she might blame it on the food you're giving her... but I kinda doubt that. She could also have all sorts of weird body reactions (I get really pissed off when I get sore throats, for some reason - the food could be upsetting her system and giving her a physical reaction that triggers an emotional reaction). Or her body might not be able to process things and she might be slightly hypo- or hyperglycemic as a result. I kinda doubt any of these theories apply to her, but they might.

The other possibility (like someone mentioned upthread) is the whole "sense of impending doom", which is, of course, the result of her blood pressure dropping. It's possible to have allergies cause a sudden blood pressure dip without going into anaphylactic shock, but, again, pretty unlikely.

More likely: she is depressed for some reason (environmental or physical or both) and doesn't want to deal with it or admit it. When I get moody for no understandable reason, I try to find a cause of my moodiness that isn't me, especially when there's someone else around to see me. Part of that might be putting up a good front (I'm making the assumption that there's a reason she needs a care provider), and part of it might just be a need to deny that she doesn't have complete control over her emotions.

Answer 3

I also have never heard of such a thing.

I suppose it is possible, indirectly: It's very hard to feel chipper when one is suffering an allergic reaction, after all.

Now, there are a number of dyes and other food additives that can cause psychological problems due to chemical imbalances, in people who are sensitive to them. Perhaps you can see about finding some organic foods for her? And I do mean Organic, not stuff that's just had a buzz-word slapped on it.

Good luck!

Answer 4

Food allergies are very, very obvious, and the symptoms are not so vague as all that.

Some environmental allergies can wear down your energy, like if you have really bad hay fever, you can get tired and ill, and that causes depression, but it's not an issue of direct causation.

I wouldn't try to confront her about all this though- you'll never convince her. Just ask her if there is something that would make her feel better.

Answer 5

sounds more like a phobia. she could be have emotional responses to various things, that wouldn't necessarily be depression. people react differently to different things, environments, etc.

Have you heard the bodytalk system? You should find a doctor or chiropractor that practices this system. It's a way of realigning your body to make sure everything is working in coordination with each other.

Answer 6

no symptom of allergic reaction = no allergic reaction

Answer 7

could it be anxiety? or hypochondriac