Diets Health Article

Definition

Special diets are designed to help individuals make changes in their usual eating habits or food selection. Some special diets involve changes in the overall diet, such as diets for people needing to gain or lose weight or eat more healthfully. Other special diets are designed to help a person limit or avoid certain foods or dietary components that could interfere with the activity of a medication. Still other special diets are designed to counter nutritional effects of certain medications.

Purpose

Special diets are used in the treatment of persons with certain mental disorders to:

• identify and correct disordered eating patterns
• prevent or correct nutritional deficiencies or excesses
• prevent interactions between foods or nutrients and medications

Special types of diets or changes in eating habits have been suggested for persons with certain mental disorders. In some disorders, such as eating disorders or substance abuse, dietary changes are an integral part of therapy. In other disorders, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, various proposed diets have questionable therapeutic value.

Many medications for mental disorders can affect a person's appetite or nutrition-related functions such as saliva production, ability to swallow, bowel function, and activity level. Changes in diet or food choices may be required to help prevent negative effects of medications.

Finally, interactions can occur between some medications used to treat persons with mental disorders and certain foods or nutritional components of the diet. For example, grapefruit and apple juice can interact with some specific psychotropic drugs (medications taken for psychiatric conditions) and should be avoided by individuals taking those medicines. Tyramine, a natural substance found in aged or fermented foods, can interfere with the functioning of monoamine oxidase inhibitors and must be restricted in individuals using these types of medications. A person's pre-existing medical condition and nutritional needs should be taken into account when designing any special diet.