Mental health problems are common among adolescents. As young people experience rapid physical, emotional and social development, they are especially vulnerable to mental health disorders. Almost half of all mental health disorders start before the age of fourteen, and depression, anxiety, and stress are some of the most critical health conditions experienced by young people globally.
In this context, protecting the mental well-being of adolescents is hugely important. But nurturing psychological well-being and preventing mental health disorders is multifaceted. Our mental health is influenced by our material conditions, social relationships, and emotional and social skills. It’s also impacted by genetics and personality traits. And, crucially, it’s closely connected to our physical health and somatic experiences.
In recent years, research has uncovered the importance of the mind-body connection and its intrinsic inseparability. We understand how trauma is stored in the body and how many of our hormones are synthesised in the gut. We understand that the food we eat impacts the way our brains and bodies function and critically influences how we feel.
The Clinical Impact of Vitamins and Minerals on Adolescent Mental Health
Our brains and bodies rely on vitamins and minerals to function. Each vitamin and mineral plays a specific role, meaning that we need to eat a broad range of foods to feel well physically and mentally. In situations where it is difficult to reach our recommended intake, supplements can help us obtain the micronutrients we require.
Certain vitamins and minerals seem to play a particularly important role in adolescent mental health. These include vitamin B12, folate, magnesium and zinc.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is essential in every cell of the body, supporting the process of creating and repairing DNA. It’s also part of the process of creating red blood cells and ensuring the normal functioning of the nervous system.
When our bodies don’t get enough vitamin B12, we can develop a variety of cognitive and somatic symptoms. These include:
- Anaemia
- Shortness of breath
- Tingling sensations
- Unexplained fatigue
- Blurred vision
- Short-term memory loss
Numerous studies have established a link between vitamin B12 and adolescent mental health. They have found that:
- Lower intake of B12 was associated with higher levels of anxiety among teenage girls
- Higher intake of B12 was linked to a lower risk of depression and behavioural problems
- Lower intake of B12 was associated with more severe depression
Folate
Folate is another name for vitamin B9. Like vitamin B12, folate plays an essential role in making healthy red blood cells, creating DNA, and ensuring the healthy functioning of the nervous system.
Research suggests that folate may also play a key role in adolescent mental health. Studies have found that:
- Lower intake of folate was associated with higher internalising and externalising behaviours among adolescents
- Lower intake of folate was weakly correlated with some symptoms of anxiety and depression
Magnesium
Magnesium helps to regulate the body’s calcium and blood sugar levels. It’s especially important in the cardiovascular and nervous systems, muscles, and bones.
Low magnesium levels can cause a variety of symptoms, including low appetite, fatigue, and nausea.
Magnesium is a mineral that is often overlooked in the context of both mental and physical health. But research suggests it plays an important role in our mental health, among both adults and adolescents.
Research has found that:
- A higher magnesium intake was significantly associated with reduced externalising behaviour problems among adolescents
- Magnesium and vitamin D co-supplementation could improve the mental health of children with ADHD
- Among adults, higher magnesium intake is associated with fewer symptoms of depression
Zinc
Zinc plays an essential role in the immune system, maintaining normal functioning and helping to heal wounds. It’s also involved in the synthesis of key hormones and the modulation of neurotransmitters.
When we don’t get enough zinc in our bodies, we may experience a range of symptoms. These include:
- Loss of taste and smell
- Slow wound healing
- Weakened immune system
Research exploring the link between zinc intake or concentration and child and adolescent mental health has found that:
- Increased levels of zinc in the blood were associated with a lower risk of depression among children at risk of zinc deficiency
- Zinc intake was inversely linked to depression and anxiety among female students in Iran
- Zinc deficiency is associated with anxiety
Considering Micronutrition in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Given the importance of micronutrition for teenagers’ mental health, dietary and nutritional considerations should be an important aspect of clinical practice in child and adolescent psychiatry. Alongside talk therapies, experiential therapies, family interventions, and other treatment approaches, psychoeducation about micronutrition and supplementation or meal support can help young people to recover from mental health disorders and stay well in the long term.
The relationship between micronutrition and adolescent mental health is bidirectional. Nutritional deficiencies, including a lack of zinc, magnesium, and B vitamins, compromise immune functioning and susceptibility to mood disorders like anxiety and depression. At the same time, mental health disorders can influence eating and feeding, leading to irregular eating patterns, a lack of food intake, and disordered eating behaviours.
These behaviours can form a vicious cycle where micronutrient deficiencies exacerbate mental health symptoms, which, in turn, increase maladaptive coping behaviours related to food and nutrition. Fatigue caused by inadequate nutrition may impact a teenager’s motivation to care for themselves and eat well, leading to further nutritional deficiency.
Incorporating nutritional considerations into clinical practice should be handled with care. While micronutrition is key for young people’s mental health, a preoccupation with the nutritional content of food and a focus on diet can be risk factors for eating disorders. This means that it’s important to emphasise the importance of adequate nutrition without creating strict eating rules or encouraging over-control. It’s also vital to separate nutritional concerns from ideas about body shape and weight and emphasise that body size is not a measure of health or well-being.
Nutritional Counselling
Nutritional counselling involves a collaborative process between health professionals and young people to help them obtain the nutrients that they require. It involves forming priorities, goals, and action plans related to nutritional intake.
Nutritional counselling might use a variety of different techniques, including:
- Education and learning
- Motivational interviewing
- Problem-solving
Supplementation Pathways
While some young people can obtain the micronutrients they require through their diets, it’s not always possible. Sometimes, personality traits, social conditions, or mental health symptoms can prevent teenagers from eating the quantity and variety of foods that they need.
This might be because eating disorders like ARFID restrict their food intake, or anxiety symptoms make it difficult to eat as much as they need to. It might be because fresh, high-quality food is hard to access. Or it might be because existing nutritional deficiencies demand especially high intakes of micronutrients to replenish supplies.
In these situations, supplementation can support young people to obtain their nutritional requirements. Supplementation may be a temporary measure that can fill nutritional gaps while teenagers work on more long-term changes, such as eating and feeding patterns.
Research has found that taking supplements for eight weeks may significantly improve various mental health symptoms among teenagers, including irritability, stress, and suicidal ideation.
Familiarity with Foods
Sometimes, teenagers miss out on the nutrients they need because they are used to eating a narrow range of foods or foods that don’t cover all of their micronutritional requirements. It can be difficult for young people to introduce foods with unfamiliar smells, tastes, and textures into their diets.
In these situations, teenagers may benefit from counselling sessions where they are gradually exposed to new foods. They can also develop strategies to slowly introduce unfamiliar foods into their eating patterns.
Nutritional Support at The Wave Clinic
At the Wave Clinic, nutritional support is an important element of our recovery programs. We understand micronutrition as an essential consideration in all types of mental health concerns, not only eating disorders. We emphasise the mind-body connection and the intrinsic connection between physical and mental health, diet and well-being.
Nutritional support is included in both our outpatient and residential programs through multi-faceted approaches.
Nutritional Support in Residential Care
Our residential programs in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, give us the opportunity to offer nutritional support through practice, outside of supplementation and counselling sessions. At supported mealtimes, we work with young people to eat foods that nourish their bodies, managing anxiety around eating and other feeding difficulties.
We also offer cooking classes and collective cooking, helping teenagers develop a positive relationship with food through creativity and exploration. In our kitchen garden, young people can grow and care for the foods that they eat, adding an additional perspective to their experience of food.
Nutritional Support in Outpatient Programs
Alongside our residential programs, we also offer outpatient support from our outpatient clinic in Kuala Lumpur and our specialist eating disorder services in Dubai. This includes intensive outpatient programs where young people spend the whole day at our centre, creating opportunities for additional support. We invite parents and families to participate in these programs, learning together how best to support a young person.
Our nutritional support in intensive outpatient programs includes:
- Nutritional counseling
- Supported eating
- Morning breakfast club and after-school eating club, helping parents to support young people around meal times
Getting in Touch
If you’re interested in our residential or outpatient programs, you can contact us by phone or direct message. You can reach us on WhatsApp at +60125227734 or send a message on our website, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
