Due to a general state of inertia I have gone about a week now without the fish oil that has been part of my anti-suicide kit for the past year and a half. (About that inertia: it does not feel like depression; it is more a sense of paralyzing hopelessness, which seems to exist independent of the usual affective downsides to such thinking. Which is to say: it IS difficult to get motivated to do things, but my mood is generally OK, considering everything. By everything I mean: winter coming on; no $$ to speak of, still no real prospects that I'll be able to put my training to work in a real job. The usual stuff! But due, perhaps, to the sunny days and warm weather, which have allowed me to get out and exercise in the sun the past few days, even to do so barefoot, my mood is hanging in there....)
But, about that fish oil.
When I sought out treatment for depression I was attracted to the Therapeutic Lifestyle Change program (decent summary here, though see below for further thoughts on THAT) primarily for its emphasis on depression as a physiological issue, rather than, say a psychoanalytical one. I was somewhat intrigued by the emphasis on lifestyle issues, though with my anthropological background I did, and do, have huge issues with the some of the language used. For example the expression "Stone Age lifestyle" makes me cringe. (In brief, the term Stone Age means pretty much nothing outside of the ancient European context where it was first applied; also, anthropologists do not know a great deal about "Stone Age" lifestyles; psychologists know even less....). (Oh, and the common notion that we have "Stone Age" peoples today is rubbish; part of the justification for the TLC program is that contemporary "Stone Age" people do not suffer depression at the high rates that we "modern" people do. But there are no Stone Age people, and there have been none since, you know, the Stone Age. And that photo on that web page, of a modern human who is meant to stand in for our ancient primitive ancestors is just offensive hokum.)
But the general principle behind TLC, that we lead unhealthy lives, especially when it comes to food and exercise, is indisputable. And most of the elements of the program are things we should be doing anyway: Get more light! Eat better! Exercise! So even if the program is not the "depression cure," it seems pretty clear that following it would be likely to enhance a person's sense of well-being; and at the very least the program is not going to cause any harm. So it seemed like a good place to start with my project of Not Killing Myself.
One of the core elements of the program is the consumption of omega-3 fatty acids, which are said to be crucial in maintaining proper brain function. Our modern diets lack these, due primarily to industrialized meat production. One of the first things we did in TLC therapy was start taking daily doses of omega-3s, which we can get from fish oil or flaxseed oil. Hence my long slog through the world of fish oils. Which ones have the proper balance of omega-3? Are the heavy metals really filtered out? Can we trust people selling health supplements? (I tend NOT to...). But I started buying oils, in non-tablet forms and taking a spoonful every day. And then about a week and a half ago, I went cold turkey, due to the inertia. Remember the inertia???
And I have not noticed any difference. I had the same experience with evening primrose oil: when I stopped taking that supplement I did not notice any difference in my mood. So I never started up again. And now I'm wondering if I should bother with buying more fish oil. Does it really do me any good?? I'm not sure there is any way to tell, short of turning the rest of my life into a series of controlled experiments, which I suspect is not possible anyway. Too many variables.
So: what to do???? The other issues to consider regarding fish oil, other than efficacy, are environmental.
First there is the over-fishing issue. Fish oil has become a huge fad of late. It is being promoted as a treatment or preventative measure for all sorts of conditions, from asthma to cancer. Which is why you see fish oil for sale just about everywhere these days. Again leaving aside the efficacy (for most of these purposes fish oil is probably just snake oil; this is how is always is with fads!), the popularity of fish oil is leading to massive over-fishing, especially of the menhaden, as we wipe out huge areas of ocean life in order to produce a supplement that may or may not deliver on the promises hucksters make about it.
Second there is the toxins issue. The game fish that contain omega-3s are often at or near the top of their food chains. Substances such as dioxins, PCBs and mercury bioaccumulate in the flesh of such fish, especially in the fats that also contain the omega-3s. In addition, many people eat salmon for the omega-3s, but farm raised salmon have less omega-3 oil AND are doused with antibiotics.
So, what to do? I just don't know.
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