Tryptophan and depression: can diet alone be the answer?

2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nerissa L. Soh ◽  
Garry Walter

Objective: To compare the scientific content of recent general media articles on tryptophan, diet and depression, with recent empirical research into dietary manipulation of tryptophan published in the scientific literature.Method: A review of the recent empirical research into the role of tryptophan in depression, focusing on dietary methods to influence tryptophan levels. In parallel, a review of recent articles in the general English language media regarding tryptophan and mood.Results: Empirical evidence for improving mood through dietary manipulation of tryptophan is lacking, and it is difficult to change plasma tryptophan levels through diet alone. Tryptophan supplementation and depletion studies suggest that altering tryptophan levels may only benefit certain groups of patients who have a personal or family history of depression. Scientific studies also focus on elucidating mechanisms in depression, rather than treating depression by changing tryptophan levels. However, general media articles often recommend diets and foods to increase blood tryptophan levels and raise brain serotonin levels. Such recommendations are not supported by scientific studies.Conclusion: It is very difficult to alter blood tryptophan levels through dietary methods alone, outside of a laboratory or research setting. Only a small number of lay articles provide sound advice, with general media reports on tryptophan often being hyperbolic and misleading. A clinician should be aware of the type of (mis)information a patient may have accessed and have the scientific knowledge to explain the impracticalities of influencing tryptophan levels through diet alone.

Author(s):  
David Hardiman

Much of the recent surge in writing about the practice of nonviolent forms of resistance has focused on movements that occurred after the end of the Second World War, many of which have been extremely successful. Although the fact that such a method of civil resistance was developed in its modern form by Indians is acknowledged in this writing, there has not until now been an authoritative history of the role of Indians in the evolution of the phenomenon.The book argues that while nonviolence is associated above all with the towering figure of Mahatma Gandhi, 'passive resistance' was already being practiced as a form of civil protest by nationalists in British-ruled India, though there was no principled commitment to nonviolence as such. The emphasis was on efficacy, rather than the ethics of such protest. It was Gandhi, first in South Africa and then in India, who evolved a technique that he called 'satyagraha'. He envisaged this as primarily a moral stance, though it had a highly practical impact. From 1915 onwards, he sought to root his practice in terms of the concept of ahimsa, a Sanskrit term that he translated as ‘nonviolence’. His endeavors saw 'nonviolence' forged as both a new word in the English language, and as a new political concept. This book conveys in vivid detail exactly what such nonviolence entailed, and the formidable difficulties that the pioneers of such resistance encountered in the years 1905-19.


1959 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 742-756 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heinz Eulau ◽  
John C. Wahlke ◽  
William Buchanan ◽  
Leroy C. Ferguson

The problem of representation is central to all discussions of the functions of legislatures or the behavior of legislators. For it is commonly taken for granted that, in democratic political systems, legislatures are both legitimate and authoritative decision-making institutions, and that it is their representative character which makes them authoritative and legitimate. Through the process of representation, presumably, legislatures are empowered to act for the whole body politic and are legitimized. And because, by virtue of representation, they participate in legislation, the represented accept legislative decisions as authoritative. But agreement about the meaning of the term “representation” hardly goes beyond a general consensus regarding the context within which it is appropriately used. The history of political theory is studded with definitions of representation, usually embedded in ideological assumptions and postulates which cannot serve the uses of empirical research without conceptual clarification.


2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 721-741 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiffany M. Jones ◽  
Karl G. Hill ◽  
Marina Epstein ◽  
Jungeun Olivia Lee ◽  
J. David Hawkins ◽  
...  

AbstractThis study examines the interplay between individual and social–developmental factors in the development of positive functioning, substance use problems, and mental health problems. This interplay is nested within positive and negative developmental cascades that span childhood, adolescence, the transition to adulthood, and adulthood. Data are drawn from the Seattle Social Development Project, a gender-balanced, ethnically diverse community sample of 808 participants interviewed 12 times from ages 10 to 33. Path modeling showed short- and long-term cascading effects of positive social environments, family history of depression, and substance-using social environments throughout development. Positive family social environments set a template for future partner social environment interaction and had positive influences on proximal individual functioning, both in the next developmental period and long term. Family history of depression adversely affected mental health functioning throughout adulthood. Family substance use began a cascade of substance-specific social environments across development, which was the pathway through which increasing severity of substance use problems flowed. The model also indicated that adolescent, but not adult, individual functioning influenced selection into positive social environments, and significant cross-domain effects were found in which substance-using social environments affected subsequent mental health.


Author(s):  
Nunuk Nur Hayati ◽  
Partina -

Pregnancy and giving a birth are natural processes experienced by productive ages women; in this case the mothers will undergo several changes, either physically or psychologically. After giving a birth, some adjustments are required by mothers. Some of them are able to adjust themselves and some of them are not. Events, Reviews those Unable to adjust Themselves undergo a psychological disturbance the so-called "Maternity Blues". The mother's milk clogging is one of the problems during the period of parturition. This matter can not be neglected, because the best food for the babies is the Mother's Milk. This is a cross-sectional research. The researcher performed a research on mothers having postpartum on the 2nd day till the 10th day, the for the undergoing and non-undergoing the Maternity Blues. The samples consist of 36 mothers of having postpartum with the inclusion criteria, among others: the mother with postpartum on the 2nd till the 10th day, understanding the English language, having the history of depression, having the Apgar Score of more than 7, the baby is full term (having enough month in its mother's womb). Instruments used in this research are the Maternity Blues Scale, functioning to detect Whether a mother Suffering from Maternity Blues or not, and the other instrument to know the existence of the Mother's Milk clogging is the Six-Point engorgement Sale. The Data are analysed by using the Man Witney Test. Based on the hypothetical testing, it is Obtained that the value of p = 0.930 bigger than 0:05. Thus, it is concluded that H a is rejected, meaning that there is no difference in the events of the Mother's Milk on mothers undergoing clogging and non-undergoing the Maternity Blues. The research output indicates that there is no difference in the events of the Mother's Milk on mothers undergoing clogging and non-undergoing the Maternity Blues, in the which both of them similarly experience the Mother's Milk clogging.  


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 15
Author(s):  
Olga Dzhagatspanyan ◽  
Svetlana Orlova

This article studies expressive syntax as a type of stylistic devices and illustrates its use in publicistic style economic oral and written media reports. The relevance of the research is that syntactic expressive means have not been thoroughly studied and analyzed in economic mass media. The work aims to identify the techniques that apply syntactic expressive means to evoke emotiveness in economic media reports. This article also addresses the recurrence of usage of expressive syntax in written and oral speech involving economic discourse. Using the method of text analysis on the bases of theoretical linguistic statements evaluating functional style, media stylistics, and stylistic devices in the English language, we determined the diverse usage of expressive syntax in both videocasting and written articles. From analyzed syntactic expressive means, we identified the frequency and common usage of such syntactic expressive means as rhetorical question and simple repetition in oral and written reports. The sample analysis indicated that a paragraph in any economic report might restrain more than one occurrence of expressive syntax; these carry a manipulative function through psychological phenomena represented via syntactic expressive means.


Author(s):  
Ayu Laela Fitriyani ◽  
◽  
Setyo Sri Rahardjo ◽  
Bhisma Murti ◽  
◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Background: Chronic exposure to organophosphate pesticides can increase the risk of neuropsychiatric disorders, including depression and anxiety. Unsafe behavior from farmers will endanger the health of farmers, especially in the form of neuropsychiatric disorders (depression and anxiety). This study aimed to analyze the effects of pesticide exposure and psychosocial determinants on depression and anxiety. Subjects and Method: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in Sukoharjo, Central Java. The study population was rice farmers. A sample of 200 rice farmers who use organophospate pesticide was selected by fixed exposure sampling. The dependent variable was neuropsychiatry (anxiety and depression). The independent variables were exposure to organophospate pesticide, had family history of depression, loss and grief, post trauma, work stress, and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). The data were collected by questionnaire and analyzed by a multiple linear regression. Results: The risk of depression increased with high exposure to organophospate pesticide (b= 0.15; 95% CI= 0.05 to 0.26; p= 0.005), had family history of depression (b= 5.10; 95% CI= 2.60 to 7.60; p<0.001), loss and grief (b= 2.94; 95% CI= 0.76 to 5.11; p= 0.008), post trauma (b= 2.57; 95% CI= 0.24 to 4.89; p= 0.031), and work stress (b= 0.16; 95% CI= 0.05 to 0.27; p= 0.005). The risk of depression decreased with the use of PPE (b= -0.69; 95% CI= -1.32 to -0.076; p= 0.028). The risk of anxiety increased with high exposure to organophospate pesticide (b= 0.13; 95% CI= 0.02 to 0.24; p= 0.025), post trauma (b= 5.96; 95% CI= 3.48 to 8.44; p<0.001), loss and grief (b= 3.39; 95% CI= 1.07 to 5.71; p<0.001), had family history of depression (b= 2.95; 95% CI= 0.29 to 5.62; p= 0.004), and work stress (b= 0.19; 95% CI= 0.07 to 0.30; p=0.002). The risk of anxiety decreased with the use of PPE (b= -0.09; 95% CI= -1.57 to -0.024; p=0.008). Conclusion: The risk of depression increases with high exposure to organophospate pesticide, family history of depression, loss and grief, post trauma, and work stress. The risk of depression decreases with the use of PPE. The risk of anxiety increases with high exposure to organophospate pesticide, post trauma, loss and grief, had family history of depression, and work stress. The risk of anxiety decreases with the use of PPE. Keywords: Neuropsychiatry disorder, depression, anxiety Correspondence: Ayu Laela Fitriyani. Masters Program in Public Health, Universitas Sebelas Maret. Jl. Ir. Sutami 36A, Surakarta 57126, Central Java. Email: [email protected]. Mobile: +625796333986. DOI: https://doi.org/10.26911/the7thicph.01.48


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