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Snacks for depression


SAMHSA’s National Helpline | SAMHSA

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  • SAMHSA’s National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders.

    Also visit the online treatment locator.

SAMHSA’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357) (also known as the Treatment Referral Routing Service), or TTY: 1-800-487-4889 is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders. This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations.

Also visit the online treatment locator, or send your zip code via text message: 435748 (HELP4U) to find help near you. Read more about the HELP4U text messaging service.

The service is open 24/7, 365 days a year.

English and Spanish are available if you select the option to speak with a national representative. Currently, the 435748 (HELP4U) text messaging service is only available in English.

In 2020, the Helpline received 833,598 calls. This is a 27 percent increase from 2019, when the Helpline received a total of 656,953 calls for the year.

The referral service is free of charge. If you have no insurance or are underinsured, we will refer you to your state office, which is responsible for state-funded treatment programs. In addition, we can often refer you to facilities that charge on a sliding fee scale or accept Medicare or Medicaid. If you have health insurance, you are encouraged to contact your insurer for a list of participating health care providers and facilities.

The service is confidential. We will not ask you for any personal information. We may ask for your zip code or other pertinent geographic information in order to track calls being routed to other offices or to accurately identify the local resources appropriate to your needs.

No, we do not provide counseling. Trained information specialists answer calls, transfer callers to state services or other appropriate intake centers in their states, and connect them with local assistance and support.

  • Suggested Resources

    What Is Substance Abuse Treatment? A Booklet for Families
    Created for family members of people with alcohol abuse or drug abuse problems. Answers questions about substance abuse, its symptoms, different types of treatment, and recovery. Addresses concerns of children of parents with substance use/abuse problems.

    It's Not Your Fault (NACoA) (PDF | 12 KB)
    Assures teens with parents who abuse alcohol or drugs that, "It's not your fault!" and that they are not alone. Encourages teens to seek emotional support from other adults, school counselors, and youth support groups such as Alateen, and provides a resource list.

    After an Attempt: A Guide for Taking Care of Your Family Member After Treatment in the Emergency Department
    Aids family members in coping with the aftermath of a relative's suicide attempt. Describes the emergency department treatment process, lists questions to ask about follow-up treatment, and describes how to reduce risk and ensure safety at home.

    Family Therapy Can Help: For People in Recovery From Mental Illness or Addiction
    Explores the role of family therapy in recovery from mental illness or substance abuse. Explains how family therapy sessions are run and who conducts them, describes a typical session, and provides information on its effectiveness in recovery.

    For additional resources, please visit the SAMHSA Store.

Last Updated: 08/30/2022

Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs

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Misusing alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs can have both immediate and long-term health effects.

The misuse and abuse of alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs, and prescription medications affect the health and well-being of millions of Americans. NSDUH estimates allow researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and the general public to better understand and improve the nation’s behavioral health. These reports and detailed tables present estimates from the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).

Alcohol

Data:

  • Among the 133.1 million current alcohol users aged 12 or older in 2021, 60.0 million people (or 45.1%) were past month binge drinkers. The percentage of people who were past month binge drinkers was highest among young adults aged 18 to 25 (29.2% or 9.8 million people), followed by adults aged 26 or older (22.4% or 49.3 million people), then by adolescents aged 12 to 17 (3.8% or 995,000 people). (2021 NSDUH)
  • Among people aged 12 to 20 in 2021, 15.1% (or 5.9 million people) were past month alcohol users. Estimates of binge alcohol use and heavy alcohol use in the past month among underage people were 8.3% (or 3.2 million people) and 1.6% (or 613,000 people), respectively. (2021 NSDUH)
  • In 2020, 50.0% of people aged 12 or older (or 138.5 million people) used alcohol in the past month (i.e., current alcohol users) (2020 NSDUH)
  • Among the 138.5 million people who were current alcohol users, 61.6 million people (or 44. 4%) were classified as binge drinkers and 17.7 million people (28.8% of current binge drinkers and 12.8% of current alcohol users) were classified as heavy drinkers (2020 NSDUH)
  • The percentage of people who were past month binge alcohol users was highest among young adults aged 18 to 25 (31.4%) compared with 22.9% of adults aged 26 or older and 4.1% of adolescents aged 12 to 17 (2020 NSDUH)
  • Excessive alcohol use can increase a person’s risk of stroke, liver cirrhosis, alcoholic hepatitis, cancer, and other serious health conditions
  • Excessive alcohol use can also lead to risk-taking behavior, including driving while impaired. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 29 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver daily

Programs/Initiatives:

  • STOP Underage Drinking interagency portal - Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking
  • Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking
  • Talk. They Hear You.
  • Underage Drinking: Myths vs. Facts
  • Talking with your College-Bound Young Adult About Alcohol

Relevant links:

  • National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors
  • Department of Transportation Office of Drug & Alcohol Policy & Compliance
  • Alcohol Policy Information Systems Database (APIS)
  • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Tobacco

Data:

  • In 2020, 20.7% of people aged 12 or older (or 57.3 million people) used nicotine products (i.e., used tobacco products or vaped nicotine) in the past month (2020 NSDUH)
  • Among past month users of nicotine products, nearly two thirds of adolescents aged 12 to 17 (63.1%) vaped nicotine but did not use tobacco products. In contrast, 88.9% of past month nicotine product users aged 26 or older used only tobacco products (2020 NSDUH)
  • Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death, often leading to lung cancer, respiratory disorders, heart disease, stroke, and other serious illnesses. The CDC reports that cigarette smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths each year in the United States
  • The CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health reports that more than 16 million Americans are living with a disease caused by smoking cigarettes

Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use data:

  • In 2021, 13.2 million people aged 12 or older (or 4.7%) used an e-cigarette or other vaping device to vape nicotine in the past month. The percentage of people who vaped nicotine was highest among young adults aged 18 to 25 (14.1% or 4.7 million people), followed by adolescents aged 12 to 17 (5.2% or 1.4 million people), then by adults aged 26 or older (3.2% or 7.1 million people).
  • Among people aged 12 to 20 in 2021, 11.0% (or 4.3 million people) used tobacco products or used an e-cigarette or other vaping device to vape nicotine in the past month. Among people in this age group, 8.1% (or 3.1 million people) vaped nicotine, 5.4% (or 2.1 million people) used tobacco products, and 3. 4% (or 1.3 million people) smoked cigarettes in the past month. (2021 NSDUH)
  • Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2020 National Youth Tobacco Survey. Among both middle and high school students, current use of e-cigarettes declined from 2019 to 2020, reversing previous trends and returning current e-cigarette use to levels similar to those observed in 2018
  • E-cigarettes are not safe for youth, young adults, or pregnant women, especially because they contain nicotine and other chemicals

Resources:

  • Tips for Teens: Tobacco
  • Tips for Teens: E-cigarettes
  • Implementing Tobacco Cessation Programs in Substance Use Disorder Treatment Settings
  • Synar Amendment Program

Links:

  • Truth Initiative
  • FDA Center for Tobacco Products
  • CDC Office on Smoking and Health
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse: Tobacco, Nicotine, and E-Cigarettes
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse: E-Cigarettes

Opioids

Data:

  • Among people aged 12 or older in 2021, 3. 3% (or 9.2 million people) misused opioids (heroin or prescription pain relievers) in the past year. Among the 9.2 million people who misused opioids in the past year, 8.7 million people misused prescription pain relievers compared with 1.1 million people who used heroin. These numbers include 574,000 people who both misused prescription pain relievers and used heroin in the past year. (2021 NSDUH)
  • Among people aged 12 or older in 2020, 3.4% (or 9.5 million people) misused opioids in the past year. Among the 9.5 million people who misused opioids in the past year, 9.3 million people misused prescription pain relievers and 902,000 people used heroin (2020 NSDUH)
  • According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Understanding the Epidemic, an average of 128 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose

Resources:

  • Medication-Assisted Treatment
  • Opioid Overdose Prevention Toolkit
  • TIP 63: Medications for Opioid Use Disorder
  • Use of Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in Criminal Justice Settings
  • Opioid Use Disorder and Pregnancy
  • Clinical Guidance for Treating Pregnant and Parenting Women With Opioid Use Disorder and Their Infants
  • The Facts about Buprenorphine for Treatment of Opioid Addiction
  • Pregnancy Planning for Women Being Treated for Opioid Use Disorder
  • Tips for Teens: Opioids
  • Rural Opioid Technical Assistance Grants
  • Tribal Opioid Response Grants
  • Provider’s Clinical Support System - Medication Assisted Treatment Grant Program

Links:

  • National Institute on Drug Abuse: Opioids
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse: Heroin
  • HHS Prevent Opioid Abuse
  • Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America
  • Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) Network
  • Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC) Network

Marijuana

Data:

  • In 2021, marijuana was the most commonly used illicit drug, with 18. 7% of people aged 12 or older (or 52.5 million people) using it in the past year. The percentage was highest among young adults aged 18 to 25 (35.4% or 11.8 million people), followed by adults aged 26 or older (17.2% or 37.9 million people), then by adolescents aged 12 to 17 (10.5% or 2.7 million people).
  • The percentage of people who used marijuana in the past year was highest among young adults aged 18 to 25 (34.5%) compared with 16.3% of adults aged 26 or older and 10.1% of adolescents aged 12 to 17 (2020 NSDUH)
  • Marijuana can impair judgment and distort perception in the short term and can lead to memory impairment in the long term
  • Marijuana can have significant health effects on youth and pregnant women.

Resources:

  • Know the Risks of Marijuana
  • Marijuana and Pregnancy
  • Tips for Teens: Marijuana

Relevant links:

  • National Institute on Drug Abuse: Marijuana
  • Addiction Technology Transfer Centers on Marijuana
  • CDC Marijuana and Public Health

Emerging Trends in Substance Misuse:

  • Methamphetamine—In 2019, NSDUH data show that approximately 2 million people used methamphetamine in the past year. Approximately 1 million people had a methamphetamine use disorder, which was higher than the percentage in 2016, but similar to the percentages in 2015 and 2018. The National Institute on Drug Abuse Data shows that overdose death rates involving methamphetamine have quadrupled from 2011 to 2017. Frequent meth use is associated with mood disturbances, hallucinations, and paranoia.
  • Cocaine—In 2019, NSDUH data show an estimated 5.5 million people aged 12 or older were past users of cocaine, including about 778,000 users of crack. The CDC reports that overdose deaths involving have increased by one-third from 2016 to 2017. In the short term, cocaine use can result in increased blood pressure, restlessness, and irritability. In the long term, severe medical complications of cocaine use include heart attacks, seizures, and abdominal pain.
  • Kratom—In 2019, NSDUH data show that about 825,000 people had used Kratom in the past month. Kratom is a tropical plant that grows naturally in Southeast Asia with leaves that can have psychotropic effects by affecting opioid brain receptors. It is currently unregulated and has risk of abuse and dependence. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that health effects of Kratom can include nausea, itching, seizures, and hallucinations.

Resources:

  • Tips for Teens: Methamphetamine
  • Tips for Teens: Cocaine
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse

More SAMHSA publications on substance use prevention and treatment.

Last Updated: 01/05/2023

What to eat with depression / And how diet affects mood - an article from the "Food and Psychology" section on Food.ru

What is depression

Do not confuse depression and the usual blues. We can be sad during the day, but then the emotional background levels off - this is normal. In a more complex case, a person is constantly depressed, appetite decreases, it is difficult to fall asleep, familiar things no longer please, often there are pains of a different nature, in an extreme degree - thoughts of harming oneself.

Important

Depression is included in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). According to the World Health Organization, 5% of adults in the world suffer from it.

For a long time it was believed that nutrition plays no role in depression. But recent research suggests otherwise. The right diet helps to improve the state of stress.

Thus, the Mediterranean diet reduces symptoms and prevents depression. The basis of this principle of nutrition is plant foods: vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains and fish. The amount of processed food is kept to a minimum.

The key to the puzzle is not in one superfood, but in their synergy - the joint work of all useful substances. This can only be achieved through a varied diet.

Here is a list of foods that you should definitely include in your diet.

1. Whole grains

This group includes cereals: buckwheat, spelt, brown rice, bulgur, quinoa. They contain dietary fiber that feeds the beneficial bacteria in the gut.

Recent studies have shown that the microbiome is associated with many processes in the body: the production of enzymes, hormones, vitamins and other important substances such as neurotransmitters. One of them is the well-known serotonin, which affects the quality of sleep and mood.

The more varied the diet, the richer the intestinal microbiome, which means the better your well-being.

2. Fruits, berries, vegetables and legumes

They contain fiber, which is processed in the intestines. Try to choose different types of leafy greens and food colors - this way you will get a whole range of phytochemicals that will enhance the effect.

You can increase the amount of fruits and berries in your diet by adding them to yoghurts, cereals, smoothies. Seasonal options are preferable - so variety will be more accessible.

Fun Fact

Gut microbes convert fiber into useful compounds, such as short-chain fatty acids, which reduce overall inflammation and with it the risk of many diseases, and can regulate appetite. According to the results of a study that lasted about 10 years, people with a rich microbiome gained less weight than those whose microbiome was poor.

3. Fermented products

Kefir, yogurt, sauerkraut - they have a lot of beneficial bacteria by default that are formed during fermentation. This is a bonus for the microbiome and helps to protect the nervous system and improve mood.

4. Oily fish

It is not necessary to buy expensive varieties - salmon and trout. Replace them with herring and mackerel - they also contain essential omega-3 fatty acids, which are necessary for brain function. The body does not produce them on its own - you can only get them from food.

Studies show that up to a gram of omega per day can help alleviate depression. In a 100-gram serving of herring - as much as 1.7 g.

5. Flax seeds or linseed oil

Both are sources of alpha-linolenic acid, liver cells convert it into omega-3. But not 100%, but only 10-15% of fats obtained from food.

Still, their presence in the diet is a bonus, especially for those who do not like fish.

Advice

Chocolate is most often recommended for a good mood. It does contain substances that can have a positive effect. But their number is so small that it reduces it to zero. In addition, chocolate is high-calorie, it contains a lot of sugar. It’s definitely not worth it to seize them, it’s better to please yourself in small quantities as a dessert.

What foods in the diet should be less

It is desirable to reduce the amount of processed food: convenience foods, sausages, sausages, chips, instant soups and cereals, sweets and soda. Their excess can increase the risk of depression. Refusing them is not at all worth it - any prohibitions can become a factor in an eating disorder.

Only alcohol should be excluded - science has no doubts about this. Alcohol aggravates depression.

What can be done?

Go to a cooking class. Writer and columnist for The Guardian Ruby Tando, in one of her books, noted that cooking new dishes charges with positive energy. Psychologists from the University of Otago in New Zealand agree with her: they conducted a study among students, which confirmed that creating new recipes helps to cheer up.

How do you deal with depression? Tell us about your favorite foods that help with this.

Read more about healthy food:

  • The most useful food for the brain: for students and not only

  • Benefits of hawthorn: and what can be prepared from it

  • 6 foods that help skin regenerate after sunburn

depression, if there is no strength to do anything

May 14, 2018 Food

Variants of dishes of varying complexity, when you don't want to cook, but you have to.

Depression manifests itself in many ways, but there are several common symptoms. For example, a person does not find the strength to take a shower. Therefore, the recipes are sorted by complexity in comparison with this hygienic procedure.

Easier than taking a shower

There are times when you have neither the strength nor the desire to undress, stand under hot water, wash your hair, then dry yourself and get dressed again. In this case, you don't want to eat. But without nutrition, you will feel even worse. If you don't have the option to order food at home, choose one of these simple options.

Frozen Ready Meals

Be sure to keep a few packs of prepared food in the freezer for emergencies. If you feel unwell, all you have to do is reheat the dish in the microwave or oven. Let it be something you love. Then it will seem that you please yourself with a delicious dish, and do not force yourself.

Rice

Rice is very satisfying and cooks fairly quickly. Add butter and soy sauce to it. So you get a tasty and nutritious meal. Put more cereal so that you have enough for several times.

Miso Soup

It is very convenient to keep miso paste in the refrigerator. It does not spoil and turns into a delicious soup in just five minutes. It just needs to be filled with boiling water.

For a heartier meal, add frozen vegetables and leftover cooked rice and microwave. Put butter or tofu pieces into the finished soup.

Almost like taking a shower

When you don't feel like getting out knives, cutting boards and other tools, but you're ready to use the stove. These dishes do not require a lot of dishes.

Eggs

Fried eggs on toast is a simple and satisfying option. This way you get both proteins and carbohydrates. If you don't like scrambled eggs, make an omelet. Master the recipe that you like the most. Then you can always quickly feed yourself.

Pelmeni

All you have to do is boil water and throw dumplings into it. And if you are ready for something more complex, fry them.

Put the dumplings in the pan and fry for 3-5 minutes on each side over medium heat. Then add some water, cover the pan with a lid and increase the heat. Simmer until water evaporates. Remove the lid and fry for a few more minutes until golden brown. Do not hurry. It is better to keep them in the pan longer so that the meat is definitely ready.

Popcorn

With butter, with sugar, with cheese - popcorn can be prepared to any taste. A bowl of popcorn with cheese is almost a complete meal. Corn contains healthy dietary fiber, while cheese contains proteins and fats.

Popcorn can be prepared not only in the microwave, but also on the stovetop. Pour oil into a frying pan and heat it over medium heat. Add corn kernels and cover. After a couple of minutes, the grains will begin to explode. It remains to add the filler to taste.

Harder than taking a shower

If you've taken a shower, it's time to reward yourself. While you're feeling energized enough, prepare something more difficult.

Biscuits

Treat yourself to delicious pastries. For example, peanut butter cookies. It only needs four ingredients: sugar, eggs, peanut butter and salt. Beat 2 eggs with 335 grams of sugar, add 450 grams of peanut butter and mix thoroughly. Cool the mixture, then spoon onto a paper-lined baking sheet.

Learn more