From The Gluten File on Depression:

"It is possible for depression to be the only symptom of Celiac Disease. Because Celiac Disease is a disease of malabsorption, the depression is often a result of underlying nutritional deficiency, especially in vitamins B6 and B12."

I thought I'd share that depression was one of the few symptoms for me for gluten sensitivity, in addition to the GI stuff, which wasn't super obvious, and brain fog. Last September, I got serious about eliminating gluten out of my diet, along with dairy and corn for other health reasons. One of the things I noticed is that my thoughts of suicide cleared up. Now this might seem like a spooky thing to most of you, but the suicidal thoughts became a daily annoying occurance for me, and I learned to recognize them like you would clouds passing in the sky, abeit dark clouds. A B6 complex did help me with depression sometimes. I remember two years ago, I was feeling depressed even though I had no reason to be. My chiropractor put me back on the B vitamins, which I thought was strange at the time. I thought iodine or some thyroid supplement would be the answer, and these had helped me in the past.

In an effort to try to get my parents to do the genetic testing, I shared with them this fact that my suicidal thoughts that had plagued me a good part of my teen and adult years cleared up. That and trying to use the argument that my nephew has Asperger's syndrome and my aunt has Sjogren's syndrome and lupus weren't enough to convince my parents to do the genetic testing with Enterolab. I know that each of my parents has one copy of the DQ1 gene since I have two identical copies, but they didn't see the significance of it, even if they both have adult onset diabetes. I've since found out that my sister had her gallbladder removed, and I've read the links about CD with gallbladder problems on the BT1 forum. I don't think I have "celiac disease", but I guess I don't distinguish a lot between gluten sensitivity and our current definition of celiac disease.

I never took any prescription drugs for depression, although it certainly was offered to me by my doctors. I was determined to find a natural way to cure my depression. Not that I'm opposed to prescription drugs for depression, but the potential side effects for me were disconcerting. I never really linked the food sensitivities to my depression until I saw it clear up this past year. The B6 supplementation alone wasn't enough to clear up my symptoms. I was avoiding gluten, but certainly had not completely cut it out. I wasn't really depressed either, but just had these annoying thoughts of suicide that I learned not to take seriously. It's strange what the mind can do. Cutting these foods out of my diet really seemed to help with these disturbing thoughts. After taking Percocet for 24 hours following a surgery I had this April, I discovered how a substance can really alter the mind, as this drug caused heightened nightmares and disturbing thoughts. At least I was aware enough to know it was the drug and not me. A nurse at my hospital confirmed my side effects with other patients' experiences.

I hope my story is helpful to others seeking relief.

Claire

P.S. Thanks Cara again for The Gluten File. I'm always finding new stuff, and it's good to re-read the stuff I've already studied.