Omega-3 Fatty Acid And Depression.

 Earlier this year, I decided to start taking over-the -counter 1000mg Omega-3 fatty acids mainly to "confirm"it's benefits on moods-I had a couple of episodes of prolonged "moodiness” for a period of about 2 to 3 months.(Not sure if it was from hormones, stress or winter blues).Anyway, after  more than 6 months of taking Omega-3 regularly and I can attest to the fact that fish oil does is beneficial for mood regulation.
My capstone paper was on the "Benefits of Omega-3 Fatty Acid in Preventing or Treating Postnatal Depression", in the process I got a lot of information from  clinical studies that focused on the benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids-benefits ranging from preventing cardiovascular events, healthy skin to improving cognitive behavior in newborn and elderly.
The 2 common types of Omega-3 Fatty acid are the EPA and the DHA, which are readily available from oily fish like Mackerel, Sardines,Salmon,Herring. Most of the studies are yet to come up with the recommended dose of fish oil or fish per day,but the usual over-the-counter doses seem to be beneficial and at least 2 servings of fish per week is the general recommendation.
Within the body, EPA and DHA are found in very high concentration in brain tissue and are believed to play an important role in nerve function and mood regulation.However,the concentration of EPA and DHA can be depleted with age, pregnancy, or illness and thus would need to be replenished.

Depression  is a deadly disease that should not be ignored. Please reach out to people suspected to have depression,call and alert health professionals when you or someone you know is contemplating suicide.
Most people feel the  "blues" every now and again,didn't recognize it as depression /couldn't put a name to it and/or couldn't "shake it off”.
The major contributing factors to depressive moods are: Stress, Illness, Lack of sleep, Low socio-economic situations.

The signs for depressive moods to look out for are:(That lasts for more than a couple of weeks)
-Being easily irritable and tearful.
-Not enjoying and neglecting ones usual daily activities.
-Not paying attention to personal hygiene.
-Deliberately avoiding friends and family for no reason.
-Too much sleep or lack of sleep.
-Lack of appetite or too much appetite for food.