By David Liu, PHD

Tuesday Aug 14, 2012 (foodconsumer.org) -- Taking certain dietary supplements or micronutrients treatment may help patients with bipolar disorder at least in young patients, according to a case report in CNS spectrums.

The case reported by J.J. Rucklidge and R. Harrison of University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand shows that nutrition treatment consisting mainly of vitamins and minerals helped a 21 year old female with bipolar II disorder, ADHD, social anxiety, and panic disorder.

According to the authors, bipolar disorder with co-occurring attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is hard to treat (editor's note: bipolar disorder alone is hard enough), but at least ten previous reports showed a micronurients treatment were effective in treating various psychiatric symptom including mood and ADHD.

In this case, the patient who had a documented 8-year of on-going psychiatric symptoms which were not well managed by conventional treatment with medications, were treated with a micronutrient treatment or a special dietary supplement treatment for eight weeks. 

It was observed that at eight weeks of treatment, she showed significant improvement in mood anxiety and hyperactivity/impulsivity and the blood test results remained normal after eight weeks.  No adverse effects were associated with this micronutrients treatment.

After eight weeks, the patient opted to stop using the formula, and then  her depression scores returned to baseline, and anxiety and ADHD symptoms returned to early conditions.

Then the patient was again put on the formula and all psychiatric symptoms started to improve again.

Another report in Journal of child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology says that a 12 year old boy who had been treated with conventional medicine for six year,but in vain, was finally given a micronutrient treatment called EMPPowerplus (EMP+) which consisted of 36 nutrient ingredients including 16 minerals, 14 vitamins, 3 amino acids, and 3 antioxidants for 14 months.

The report by E.A. Frazier of The Ohio State University and colleagues says that "EMP+ resulted in outcome superior to conventional treatment."