As May rolls in with its moody skies and shifting light, for some, it’s just another season. But for many, these cloudy days bring a deeper, quieter struggle. Behind closed doors and in silent corners of the mind, symptoms begin to flare fatigue, hopelessness, poor focus, heightened cravings, and anxiety. It’s not always dramatic; sometimes it creeps in, unannounced, but heavy. This is the silent wave of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and related mental health conditions issues that are often misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and mistreated.
May is recognized globally as Mental Health Awareness Month—a time to bring to light what often lives in the dark. It’s also a time to challenge how we think about mental health. Mental health is not only about neurotransmitters and therapy—but also about what we eat, how we live, and how we respond to environmental signals.
Historically, the link between seasons and mood has been noted long before modern psychiatry. During World Wars I and II, winter months saw a rise in suicide rates, depressive breakdowns among soldiers, and emotional exhaustion in civilian populations. Long nights, malnutrition, grief, and extreme weather compounded the toll. Today, we call this Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a condition influenced by our circadian rhythm, sunlight exposure, and vitamin D levels. But what if the causes run deeper into our plates and the soil that grows our food?
Modern research is increasingly validating what ancient traditions knew: food is medicine. Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Chris Palmer, in his groundbreaking book “Brain Energy,” explains how mental illness is fundamentally linked to metabolic dysfunction. Through nutrition-focused interventions including ketogenic diets, nutrient-dense foods, and mitochondrial support, Palmer and colleagues have helped patients achieve remission from conditions like major depression, bipolar disorder, and even schizophrenia. It’s not just about calories it’s about cellular energy, inflammation, insulin resistance, and micronutrient availability.
In Ethiopia and many African countries, nutrient-rich traditional diets are giving way to ultra-processed foods, sugar-laden drinks, and pesticide-exposed produce. These dietary shifts, coupled with urban stressors and reduced social connectedness, are creating the perfect storm for rising rates of anxiety and depression.
Mental health is deeply internal but it is also profoundly geographical. At the cellular level, our bodies adapt to our internal milieu altitude, sun exposure, soil quality, and available food all shape our enzymatic pathways. Social eating, once a cornerstone of Ethiopian culture, is known to elevate mood and regulate stress hormones. Studies show that shared meals foster oxytocin release, emotional bonding, and cognitive resilience.
However, modern agriculture has shifted this balance. GMO foods and fertilizers compromise soil microbiota, which in turn affects plant nutrient density. A case in point: factory-farmed fish with high mercury levels have been linked to worsened neurodegenerative symptoms in vulnerable populations. Living in nature walking through green hills, breathing clean air, and observing landscapes expands parts of the brain associated with spatial awareness and motivation. Those unaware of these connections remain vulnerable, but those who do can build resilience.
Conventional mental health care still underrepresents the role of nutrition and environmental factors. Psychotropic medications, though necessary in many cases, often become the default solution—stacked, adjusted, and replaced in cycles. This “cocktail approach” sometimes overlooks oxidative stress, gut inflammation, and nutrient deficiencies that silently worsen the condition.
Integrative medicine can offer an alternative. Through personalized nutrition and metabolic therapy, many patients have reduced medication loads while improving energy, mood, and cognition. One example includes a patient with longstanding schizophrenia who experienced complete remission after adopting a ketogenic, anti-inflammatory diet under clinical supervision. These stories are not miracles they are models of what is possible when we treat the whole body, not just the brain.
Professionals working in mental health setups know deeply what it means to care for those in distress. I am not suggesting they do less on the contrary, I wholeheartedly acknowledge their commitment to supporting one of the most stigmatized conditions in our society: what can rightfully be called a metabolic disease of the brain.
That said, we must broaden our lens. Mental health care deserves an integrative approach, where multidisciplinary teams collaborate psychiatrists, nutritionists, therapists, and environmental health experts each contributing insight toward healing the whole person. After all, humans are not simply neurotransmitters or brains in a vacuum; we are shaped by the food we eat, the air we breathe, the people around us, and the stories we tell ourselves.
And let us remember no one has immunity against mental health disorders. There is no vaccine. If we do not take care of ourselves, we may one day find ourselves relying on others who may or may not be able to help. Your mental health is not somewhere else; it’s right in your hands.
So, dear readers: protect your mental health. Avoid toxic environments and thoughts. Sleep well. Wake up to sunlight. Eat for your brain and nourish your gut. Move. Pause. Reconnect. In this fast-paced world, pacing yourself is a form of strength. You are more than your symptoms—you are a system worth caring for.
Happy Mental Health Awareness Month!
Editor’s Note: The author Brikti Masresha (MD, MPHN) is an expert in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism advocate. She can be reached at briktim21@gmail.com
BY DR. BRIKTI MASRESHA
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD TUESDAY 13 MAY 2025
