Vitamin D and Suicide

[TOT]

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolutionary-psychiatry/201301/suicide-and-vitamin-d

 

"Lowest levels of Vitamin D are linked to suicide in the military."

 

You might not care for the source, but the data is interesting.

 

Sunbathe topless for your mental health!

 

 

[Rowlena]

I found when I started takeing vitamin D (pill form on the recomendation of my Endroconoligist) my mood perked up in combonation with all of my other meds being added at that point.

[skye]

I thought vitamin B was more important for mental health?

[olga]

I think D is the one usually suggested to people, along with the Omega-3s in fish oils.

 

I've stopped using sun screen except on my face.  I keep hoping that it will help with my depression and with my osteopenia.  We'll see.

 

olga

[WinglessFaery]

Is this what light therapy is for?

[bpladybug]

Is this what light therapy is for?

no, light therapy is something different

 

Vit D levels can be (and should be) measured in your blood

and your body uses it like a hormone

[WinglessFaery]

Oh okay thanks!

[Eden]

I find it fascinating that they at least partially acknowledge a shortage of evidence towards labeling cause and effect, more often than not people jump to conclusions. I would suspect that D levels and suicide frequency are more often than not the effect of an unmentioned cause.

[Cerberus]

I find it fascinating that they at least partially acknowledge a shortage of evidence towards labeling cause and effect, more often than not people jump to conclusions. I would suspect that D levels and suicide frequency are more often than not the effect of an unmentioned cause.

Indeed.  One wonders whether the measurement of low levels of Vitamin D isn't the same thing as a measurement of low levels of stress-free walks on sunny days.

[Eden]

Indeed.  One wonders whether the measurement of low levels of Vitamin D isn't the same thing as a measurement of low levels of stress-free walks on sunny days.

 

More or less what I am thinking, if low D is associated with low sun exposure it may be relevant to consider that those who commit suicide are often prone to isolation (shared causality), I would suspect in at least some cases this general dynamic would contribute to the figures.

[Cerberus]

In the study cited, one of the principal factors identified in causing the reduction of Vitamin D in these soldiers (aside from being cocooned in camo fatigues from head to toe) was night deployment.  So they're studying men and women shipped off to a war zone to sleep by day and facing terrors both real and imagined in the dark of night for weeks or months on end, and they seem somehow surprised at their "findings" that this group suffers a higher rate of suicides.  Must be the Vitamin D. 

[WinterRosie]

One of the ways that low vitamin D can be studied is to look at population groups like Canadians, Brits, Scandanavians, etc whose climate do not allow for year-round access to sunlight in sufficient levels to enable Vitamin D production. The theory is that that's why Scandanavia, despite ranking very high on the happiness index, also ranks high for suicide rates.

It is more than just that they're studying people who don't go outside, generally speaking. And as Cerb pointed out here, too, there are other factors.

[Cerberus]

Sooooooo many factors.  Did they control for whether or not the subjects were drinking Vitamin D-fortified milk or other dietary sources?  They don't mention.  Such factors complicate even those studies that one might think more intuitive, such as the research Rosie refers to regarding Canadians, Brits and Scandinavians - yes, these populations are closer to the Land of the Midnight Sun, but they are also populations statistically more likely to eat salmon, sole, halibut and other fish that are a significant source of Vitamin D.

[Eden]

That was actually exactly the point I was shooting for Rosie, that there are other factors, too many to currently allow for a definitive conclusion (edit: IMO).

 

I would put more weight in what we do know, for instance we know what D is for our bodies and it's a fair and reasonable conclusion to just flat out say "not having enough of that shit in us might increase suicides".

 

I keep going to abbreviate vitamin D as V D, then I realized that I would end up saying something like "a lack of V D might cause suicide", now that's some correlative evidence I could put some thought into...

 

jk jk of course, but still, I had a bit of a chuckle.

Edited February 5, 2013 by Eden

[Savannah]

My pdoc is the one who found my Vit D deficiency.

[Socially Unacceptable]

you should still wear sunscreen to avoid skin cancer and skin damage. sun screen doesn't prevent your body from absorbing vitamin D from the sun.

Edited March 4, 2013 by Socially Unacceptable

[Cetkat]

If anyone can find more studies on this, I'd be grateful.

 

It seems Vit D does more than regulate calcium.  It has major immune and neurological impacts (random stuff I read at Mayo).

 

A mod even said in her blog that increasing her Vit D *decreased* the calcium in her blood and her doc was shocked!  [it's an open blog, but after thinking about it I feel it's not my business to name the person]

 

As someone with major depression starting at 19.1 D & going to 32.2 D (with 2,000 IU per day supplement).... & that still barely hitting the norm (20.0-80.0)..... AND 10.4 (8.9-10.1 norm) calcium (which has been high for years)... I'm interested.

 

If you can find more, I'd be happy to see it.

 

...just please have it link to a study I can read.