Hi Idealist,

I was thinking about depression a bit ago after watching an antidepression commercial on telly.

The antidepression commercials always have warnings about more suicidal thoughts.

I had tried to kill myself and was in hospital in 1997, when they took several tests. The hospital appears to go on the theory that if you've tried to kill yourself then you must be on illegal drugs. Still, besides all the drug tests they gave me, they also gave me a B12 test, and mine was very low.

Just before I tried to kill myself I'd been wondering if the thick ridges on my nails had anything to do with how bad I felt.

Well, it took almost a whole year to get a prescription to give myself regular B12 shots... but after that the changes in how I felt were remarkable; and years later I was given a prescription for a shot a day for a year by a holistic M.D. and that made even more of a difference, even though 7 years earlier the neurologist I was seeing had said I might see improvements for as much as two years.

So to me, the medical community too quickly prescribes drugs, and fails to advise about or consider the affect of long term B12 deficiency.

I tried to get some of the researchers who studied vitamin B12 to work toward a higher low in this country, so that people didn't have to sink to 180 in their B12 tests before getting help, but I ran into the proverbial brick wall, which I suppose is that the drug companies would lose a lot of money if people began taking vitamins.

When I tell you this story, I'm aware that your depression may be different than mine. I don't for a minute want you to think I think I know about your depression.

What I know is that after years of B12 replacement therapy, I don't feel the same, either physically or mentally.

The ridges on my fingernails are smoothing out, and I have tiny moons on fingernails where I didn't have them before... so ... my belief is that if someone has ridges on their fingernails, then there is a possibility of low B12, and checking out a good, comprehensive list of symptoms is a good idea.

((((((((((Idealist)))))))))))