Study from Denmark linking infections to mental disorders

Might be of interest. It is getting a lot of attention in Denmark and Norway. The study is from Aarhus, a strong epicentre for psychosomatics and functional disorders, which makes me a bit wary whether there might be some politics involved here.

Jama Psychiatry: A Nationwide study in Denmark of the Association Between Treated Infections and the Subsequent Risk of Treated Mental Disorders in Children and Adolescents Ole Köhler-Forsberg et al

This study found associations between any treated infection and increased risks of all treated childhood and adolescent mental disorders, with the risks differing among specific mental disorders. These findings might be explained by direct influences of infections, genetics, or disturbances of the microbiome; however, due to the study design, other confounding factors need to be considered when interpreting our results. A better understanding of the role of infections and antimicrobial therapy in the pathogenesis of mental disorders might lead to new methods for the prevention and treatment of these devastating disorders.

 

My first thought was microbiome. The antibiotics don't just kill off the bad bacteria, but also the good bacteria that our bodies need. I believe that most of my health problems are due to the overuse of antibiotics over the years and a very compromised gut microbiome.

 

"Treated infections" do not necessarily equate to eradicated infections. I'm not sure we have a handle on what havoc disease chronicity levies on the brain.

 

But is it the brain? or the gut? We now know that 80% of serotonin resides in our gut, not our brains.

 

CNN: Infections in kids tied to subsequent mental illness risk in new study (dec. 6th)

Amy Proal seems excited:
https://twitter.com/user/status/1075460642541264902

https://twitter.com/user/status/1075462625557766144

https://twitter.com/user/status/1075463096867553280

https://twitter.com/user/status/1075463785765208064

 

The organ impacted that manifests as mental disorders would be the brain, even if the microbiome is, in part or whole, the root culprit.

I'm not sure if the study identified the infections. I would have found that insight interesting.

 

I read a paper in the last year or so that showed that inability of the microbiome to bounce back after antibiotics was associated with pre-existing sympathetic nervous system upregulation. So it seems like the autonomic nervous system plays a regulatory role with regards to keeping the microbiome in balance. So it's possible that the microbiome isn't playing the ultimate causative role. I wish I could find that paper again.

 

The gut microbiome you mean?

Table 1 of the study shows that a similar risk of mental health disorder was found in infections treated with antivirals (which would have no effect on the gut microbiome).

Also, the table shows that infections treated with narrow spectrum antibiotics (which would cause less gut microbiome disruption) had a similar risk of subsequent mental health problems as those treated with broad spectrum antibiotics.

Both of the above are suggestive that it's not the antibiotics' effect on the gut microbiome that cause the subsequent mental health problems.



EDIT: actually, what I said above is wrong (I was reading the figures in Table 1 wrongly).

There is an indeed an increased risk of subsequent mental health problems when antibiotics are used.

Though its not all down to the antibiotics and possible effect on the gut microbiome, as viral infections treated with antivirals also showed an increased risk of subsequent mental health problems.

 

Interesting. I'm pretty certain that the vast majority of mental illness has a physiological explanation, mostly caused by infections, genetic screw-ups or the immune system fighting something (and sometimes getting stuck). And that ultimately 99%+ of cases of psychosomatic illness will be found to have such an explanation.

More t-cells, (much, much) less therapy. This obsession with thoughts and beliefs is frankly becoming embarrassing. It's about time rational people in the profession put an end to this nonsense and just put all psychosomatic models on ice for a few decades and start looking at a physiological origin for most mental illness. Bring it back once we have technology that can actually falsify cases. Until then it's all just speculative.

We have the technology now, no need to continue doing discredited science that is filled with "may be"s and "could be"s and could have been done as is 150 years ago.

 

I believe major depressive disorder and chronic depression are neurological and really don't fall into the type of depression experienced after life events such as going through a divorce or death of a child. Nor should they be lumped in with emotional issues such as being brought up by alcoholic parents or being raped. They do have had it all wrong.

Now, how these neurological issues came about I certainly don't know but, my opinion is the brain has been impacted and this causes long-term "depression". That is why Alzheimer's, MS, Asperger's, ME/CFS, etc., patients experience "depression" and "anxiety".