These are all the things that can cause depression and anxiety that lead to addiction and mental health that we're not looking at. And they're simple tests.
1. Sleep Apnea
2. Low Testosterone
3. High Testosterone
4. Low Iron
5. Hypoglycemia
6. Low Thyroid
7. Heavy Metal Toxicity
8. H. Pylori Infection
9. Nutrient Deficiencies
10. Closed Head Injuries
11. Vagus Nerve Dysregulation
Root Cause of Addiction and Mental Health
Several underlying health conditions may contribute to depression, anxiety, and addiction. Identifying these factors through appropriate medical assessment may help guide treatment and support recovery.
1. Sleep Apnea
Most addicts have difficulty sleeping, so we give them medications like Trazodone and Seroquel to go to sleep, but if they have sleep apnea it makes the condition worse. Sleep apnea causes depression and resistance to medications and nutrients. Watch for snoring, waking up exhausted, or a partner who says they stop breathing at night. A sleep study finds it, and treating it can lift the depression.
2. Low Testosterone
It looks just like depression: tired, flat, irritable, no drive. Opioids and heavy drinking drive it down, so many men walk into treatment already low. Many are too embarrassed to bring it up, so ask them plainly about energy and sex drive. A morning blood test, total and free.
3. High Testosterone
Some of these addicts are doing steroids, which drive testosterone up. It brings anger, anxiety and mood swings, then a crash into depression coming off them. In women, too much testosterone, often from PCOS, comes with more depression and anxiety. The same morning blood test, men and women both.
4. Low Iron
It can cause depression and anxiety, along with exhaustion, brain fog and restless legs that keep people up at night. Years of poor eating and a damaged gut drain it. A simple blood test, including ferritin, and it's easy to fix.
5. Hypoglycemia
Low blood sugar makes people shaky, irritable and anxious, and the crash feels like a craving. Most alcoholics ride that roller coaster, which is why early recovery runs on candy, coffee and donuts. Regular meals with protein help. A fasting glucose and an A1C.
6. Low Thyroid
It looks like depression: tired, foggy, heavy, cold all the time. People get one antidepressant after another when nobody checked. Run the full thyroid panel, not just one number, because a result at the bottom of "normal" can still leave someone feeling terrible.
7. Heavy Metal Toxicity
Lead and other metals can mimic ADHD and bipolar disorder: can't focus, impulsive, moods swinging up and down. Old buildings, firing ranges and certain jobs expose people. Ask where they grew up and what they did for work. A blood lead level is the start.
8. H. Pylori Infection
A stomach bacteria that may cause depression and anxiety and blocks absorption of iron and B12. Many people in early recovery live on antacids with heartburn every night, and nobody asks why. A breath, stool or blood test, and it's treatable.
9. Nutrient Deficiencies
Years of drinking and using, bad food or no food, leave the body low on vitamin D, B vitamins, magnesium and zinc, and that shows up as fatigue, depression and anxiety. A micronutrient test shows what's low, and a methylation test shows whether the body is actually absorbing and using what it gets.
10. Closed Head Injuries
Car wrecks, fights, falls and blasts can look like depression and anger, and drugs and alcohol damage the brain too. Screen for them, and ask the doctor about hyperbarics. Many people never told anyone they were hit in the head, so ask directly.
11. Vagus Nerve Dysregulation
The vagus nerve is the body's main calming nerve. It runs from the brain to the heart, the gut and the lungs, and it's what lets the body settle down after stress. It also carries the signals between the gut and the brain that help drive dopamine and serotonin. When it's dysregulated, meaning it isn't doing its job, the body stays stuck in fight or flight. That drives anxiety, poor sleep, gut problems and cravings. A heart rate variability test, which can be done with a simple monitor, shows how well it's working. Slow breathing, exercise and treating the gut help bring it back.
All these different things need to be addressed. If they can't be done in treatment, at least the client knows, after treatment, to go talk to their doctor and find out whether any of these things are interfering in their recovery.
The Wingman for Recovery platform is an AI program that you could talk to if you're feeling depressed or have anxiety or have cravings, and it'll give you a non-judgmental answer. It has a wellness program in it, an exercise program in it, goal-setting program in it, an aftercare program for the client and for the family, and a way of tracking what works and what doesn't work. And it's a blockchain that's immutable, and it's HIPAA compliant. So nobody can see it except you.
Sophie Calder
Amna Zaheer