Will Niacin Cure Mental Illness

Since a deficiency of vitamin B3 or niacin causes pellagra which is characterized by mental disturbances, practitioners of orthomolecular medicine or megavitamin advocates think that gigantic doses of niacin can treat schizophrenia.

A cautious review made by the American Psychiatric Association in the 1970s showed that this was not the case And it’s deplored this practice. Later, the Research Advisory Committee of the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health And the Canadian Mental Health Association did likewise after studying the claims made by orthomolecular psychiatrists.

“Scientific evaluation of nicotinic acid as a treatment for schizophrenia concludes that improvement claimed by purveyors of the megavitamin therapies resulted not from the vitamins but from the conventional therapy (drugs and/or psychotherapy) given simultaneously,” said Drs. Harold M. Silverman, Joseph A. Romano And Garry Elmer in “The Vitamin Book: A No-Nonsense Consumer Guide.”

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