“There can be benefits in cutting down on wheat or dairy – but this is quite difficult. They are commonly eaten foods, and it’s not always necessary. But if you want to change aspects of mental, emotional and physical health, diet is a very good place to start.”But why do certain foods help our mood? “There are various scientific studies proving that people who eat more fish in their daily diet are less prone to depression, particularly oily fish like mackerel, salmon and trout,” says Professor Malcolm Peets, who has published a study of omega-3 acids in the treatment of depression. In clinical trials, Professor Peets administered omega-3 fatty acids to patients who were not doing well on anti-depressants.

“By adding in omega-3 fatty acids, there is a significant benefit,” says Professor Peets. “The particular fatty acid is EPA – that appears to be the active agent in depression and acts on the brain transmitters for serotonin function,” he says.More research is needed to discover precisely how and why other foods appear to affect emotional and mental health. “It has been scientifically established that dietary intake of tryptophan-containing protein does affect levels of serotonin – the chemical associated with good mood,” says Geary. Tryptophan is found in dairy products, but, says Geary, “a dairy-sensitive person can find many other sources high in tryptophan – like chicken and turkey, or beans and lentils”.Another important factor, she believes, is the control of blood sugar levels and the avoidance of hypoglycaemic lows, which can adversely affect how we think and feel. It is also widely believed that some artificial additives such as tartrazine or E102, and some flavour enhancers can have a toxic affect on the brain and deplete the body of important nutrients.A connection between food and mood certainly seems to be the case for Johnston “You can recover. This is still the dark ages of mental health – one step up from straitjackets. People need to know they can take control of their own lives and lead a productive and powerful existence, not just survive No one tells you that you can get better.

I believe the drugs are more harmful than the illness in the long term,” she says.The Food and Mood Project, PO Box 2737, Lewes, East Sussex BN7 2GN; . ‘The Food and Mood Handbook’ by Amanda Geary is published by Thorsons, £12.99. Doctors have found a way of reducing serious surgery in women and increasing their satisfaction with alternative treatments – by talking to them about their options. But a study of 894 women in six hospitals in south-west England found fewer women opted for a hysterectomy if they were given an opportunity to talk through other options.Almost half (48 per cent) of the women in the control group, given no information or chance to discuss the options, chose hysterectomy, compared with 38 per cent in the group who received an information pack and an appointment to discuss itGiving women the information pack alone, without the consultation, had no effect. They were as likely to opt for a hysterectomy as those who had no information.Andrew Kennedy, formerly of the health economics research group at Brunel University, who led the research, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, said: “A lot of women referred to hospital with this condition think hysterectomy is the only option.”Quite often they have already been given various drugs by their GP But it’s not just about talking to them. It is about having the information and being able to use it.”For years the standard treatment for heavy menstrual bleeding was dilatation and curettage, which involved scraping the lining of the womb.

This has now been discredited as a treatment and superseded by new drug treatments and minimally invasive surgery.These new treatments, including hysterectomy, have different risks and benefits and Mr Kennedy said women needed help in the shape of “decision aids” to choose between them.”We gave them lists of clinical outcomes and lifestyle outcomes so they could assess what mattered to them. The clinical outcomes included questions such as, ‘Did they want to keep their womb?’ and ‘Were they for or against long-term drug therapy?’”The lifestyle questions asked what they felt about not being able to function properly for three months after hysterectomy, having a long hospital stay or having pain and discomfort. It is the values that you associate with different outcomes that count,” Mr Kennedy said.The trial, between October 1996 and February 1998, was the biggest to examine the effect of decision aids in influencing treatment choices. It found the women who used them had less invasive treatment, which cost less (£1,000) than in the control group (£1,800) but they were more satisfied with it.Mr Kennedy said: “The same treatment may not be right for everyone.