Vitamin Cures for Depression

Depression occurs when a chemical imbalance in your brain interferes with your mood, energy, and ability to concentrate. It can leave you feeling irritable, hopeless and dejected, and it can affect your appetite and ability to sleep. If left untreated, depression can lead to thoughts of suicide. While there are plenty of medications available, you can find natural relief from depression, using vitamin therapy.

B Vitamins

• B vitamins help maintain normal brain function. They are water soluble and need to be replenished daily. Fear, mood swings, confusion and a general feeling of uneasiness are all brought on by thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency.

  Riboflavin, or vitamin B2, is the vitamin that more Americans are deficient in than any other. Fatigue and difficulty concentrating can result from a riboflavin deficiency. If you do not consume dairy products or have thyroid disease, your risk for B2 deficiency is higher.

  Vitamin B3, also known as niacin, is used to form serotonin, histamine and dopamine; if you eat a lot of starches, you may be deficient in niacin and display irritability. Anxiety and mental sluggishness are other signs of a B3 deficiency.

  Pantothenic acid is vitamin B5, and although it is present in many of the foods we eat, much of it is lost in cooking and processing. Not enough of vitamin B5 can leave you confrontational and stricken with insomnia.

  Vitamin B6, or pyridoxine, is also vital as it aids your body in producing serotonin, norepinephrine (a stress hormone) and dopamine, thus helping regulate your mood. B6 also helps eliminate premenstrual-syndrome symptoms in women. Do not take too much B6, however, as it can upset the balance of the other B vitamins.

  Vitamin B12 is also linked with signs of depression. B12, vitamin C and folic acid all aid in the combination of monoamines (such as serotonin). Take a B-complex supplement to ensure that you're getting the proper amounts of all B vitamins.

Vitamin C

• The smallest vitamin-C deficiency can cause depression, and a more substantial deficiency can lower your immune system as well. Vitamin C assists in stress resistance and helps form serotonin and norepinephrine. According to the Prevention Health Book "Healing with Vitamins: The Most Effective Vitamins and Mineral Treatments for Everyday Health Problems and Serious Disease," taking up to 4,000 milligrams of vitamin C a day is beneficial. Vitamin C tends to flush out of your system quickly, as some escapes in urine, so take it two or three times daily.

Vitamin D

• Sunlight exposure and milk are common sources of vitamin D. If you are deficient, you may be susceptible to hypothyroidism, anxiety, insomnia and seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. According to "Healing Depression and Bipolar Disorder Without Drugs," the recommended daily dosages of vitamin D are 400 IU (International Units) in the summer and 800 IU in the winter.

Vitamin E

• Vitamin E is an antioxidant that enhances your concentration abilities and can help lift mild depression. It can also help protect your brain from other diseases. Take 400-to-600 IU of vitamin E on a daily basis.