The people of Japan experience one of the lowest bipolar disorder rates in the civilized world. Compared to the 4.4 percent lifetime prevalence rate of bipolar disorder in the U.S., in Japan it’s just 0.07 percent. That’s no typo — that’s a crazy large difference.
The Japanese don’t live a less stressful lifestyle than people in the U.S. In fact, in the white-collar world, the stress levels are often higher and the people often work harder. The Japanese people live on a small, crowded island and rely heavily on imports to sustain their way of life. Japanese schools are results-oriented, and students spend an enormous time engaged in study.
So what gives? How come the Japanese have such a low rate of bipolar disorder compared with other high-income, developed nations?
In a word: fish.
Before posting, please read our blog moderation guidelines. The comments below begin with the oldest comments first. Click on the last comments page to jump to the most recent comments.
Before posting, please read our blog moderation guidelines.
Post a Comment:
Copyright © 1995-2013 Psych Central. All rights reserved.
Site last updated: 21 May 2013
|
Thanks for keeping fish oil in our awareness, Dr. Grohol. Fish consumption and/or fish oil (and perhaps some vegan/plant based forms of DHA found in the algae that fish consume) might be supportive to mental health when they are part of a balanced, healthy diet. Popping a pill, whether it be fish oil or psychiatric medication, is not the answer to most mental health issues.The Japanese also have other dietary pluses (and a few minuses in some cases) so that really has to be carefully looked at.Meanwhile, the essential fatty acids, individually and as a group, including all the individual Omega 3s are often in a state of imbalance in Western diets. Fish oil is not the only solution, rather addressing our consumption of fats and our diets in general is a good first step.Here are a couple of blog posts over at Therapy Soup on diet (including fish oil) http://blogs.psychcentral.com/therapy-soup/2011/03/omega-3s-schizophrenia/and http://blogs.psychcentral.com/therapy-soup/2012/05/diet-and-schizophrenia-more-important-link-than-you-think/
An informative article and it goes beyond doubt that fish oil is good for health but it came as surprise that it is good for bipolar,too.
I would want to know if ethnic Japanese *without* high fish diet have higher or lower incidence of bipolar disorder.
Since genetic factors are believed to be at least part of the etiology of bipolar, wouldn’t you suspect genetic differences *first*, when you note something unusual in a genetically distinct population?
Hi Greg you said,,I would want to know if ethnic Japanese *without* high fish diet have higher or lower incidence of bipolar disorder. Well Greg, i reckon if their in Australia or America, Yes, and if their in Japan, NO,And your right about the genetic factors, but that’s also going to depend upon, “who’s eyes are seeing” again, how they see, what they see, and what they think, find feel,towards and about their client will depend on where they were indoctrinated or trained, their culture, the amount of personnel misery in the see err,the prejudices of the see-err,the conscience of the see err,the morality of the see err,the upbringing of the see err, etc, remember!! what “you see” is what “you get”.. But one thing for sure, id love to look at the pictures of those(Japanese and Australian)both in japan, and those in Australia, to compare. I bet wed all be blown away by those, wed definitely know whose telling stories wouldn’t we.
Maybe it’s the fish oil, or maybe it’s the fact that antidepressants are not as widely used in Japan as they are in the United States. There is evidence that exposure to antidepressants can predispose a patient to developing more-chronic depression as well as bipolar disorder. (In other words, antidepressants can lead to iatrogenic illness.) See, for example, John Horgan’s blog post on this topic:http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cross-check/2012/03/05/are-psychiatric-medications-making-us-sicker/
Good article Dr J, Maybe their not getting bi-polar, because bi polar is basically, up and down, and who isn’t up and down, sometime, and for some reason,and if theirs a reason as their always is, that the reason, and the answer is whats needed, not a pill and a tag, and in the “big picture”, that’s the way the people of japan think,(Including their doctors) and by that standard of thinking don’t buy it, Bi -polar, like other more susceptible nations where it is sold like Vegemite as an illness to its vulnerable, like in Australia, who simply follow America,and produce/create psychiatric-ally/mental health/media (made) sick,(sheep), who are really just insecure and vulnerable people, maybe its because in reality, its a disease, made by psychiatry, for psychiatry, that gets sold or shoved down throats (involuntarily) in western society.or maybe The difference here is that our doctors see, tag, and poison, up and down, where as in Japan they see it for what it is.
Dear Dr. John M. Grohol, PsyD,Thank you so much for your very helpful webpage.When I subscribed to this web, I was thinking not on me but, on my dear niece whose name is Carmen Marisol. She got the terrible mental illness called Maniac/drepressed/psichosis about two years ago.I did so because I needed to understand what happened on her mind and tried to give some tips to her mon, My sister carmen. I just have suggested my niece to subscribe to this page. she is concious now about her mental illness and wants to get over.This page have given me certain hope. I now understand that she probably will continue being with this illness througout her life, but I understand that with good theraphy,understanding and love from the part of all of her family and friends, she can going on with her life. Thank you again and good luck.Isabel CaychoPeru
I believe the fish oil hypothesis and I’m living testament that it works well in major depression- my conventional psychiatrist prescribed 15ml/day plus Vitamin D nearly 12 months ago and my bottom line mood level has been much better. A bonus has been that side effects from high dose Venlafaxine (600mg/day) have been totally eliminated- no brain-zapping, sudden muscle cramps, tingling, hotness or night sweats. However, Japanese stats on MDP are another matter- of course there is the genetic component and then there is the huge suicide rate: http://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/15/world/in-japan-mired-in-recession-suicides-soar.html. But there can be no harm in eating extra oily fish or popping some pills as long as the oil source is tested as extremely low in pollutants and poisons like cadmium & PCBs. Everyone should try to assure the source of their fish oil.
Just in relation to taking the fish oil.. I take a teaspoon a day of omega 3 fish oil along with 1000ug of Vitamin D with the past month and wonder how long does it take for it to kick in, I too take antidepressants…
I lived in Japan for several years. Japanese people eat fish daily. They have fishy dried snacks and eat it for breakfast. I can’t speak to the levels of bipolar disorder there but I do think there is a correlation between bipolar disorder, mental illness in general and the modern diet low in omega 3. For example, beef from grass fed cattle contain good levels of omega 3, but modern feed techniques reduce the content greatly. Our modern diet is obviously divergent from the historical diet of humans.