Not having enough of certain vitamins can increase your risk of developing mental health conditions.
Vitamins play an important role in brain functioning and mood regulation.
Addressing vitamin deficiencies through self-care and professional support can improve your mental health.
We often talk about how vitamin deficiencies can affect physical health. For example, you might know that when you’re lacking vitamin C, you’re more likely to get sick. But there’s also an important connection between vitamin deficiencies and mental health.
When your body doesn’t have enough of certain vitamins, you may be more likely to develop symptoms of mental health conditions, like depression and anxiety disorders. And if you already live with a mental health condition, getting the right vitamins can be one important way to help manage your symptoms.
How vitamin deficiency affects mental health
Vitamin deficiencies don’t directly cause mental health conditions. The causes of mental health conditions are complex. Usually, a combination of different risk factors come together.
But research shows that certain vitamin deficiencies can both directly and indirectly contribute to worsening mental health. If you live with certain vitamin deficiencies, you may be more likely to develop a mental health condition — especially if you also live with other risk factors.
Here are some ways vitamin deficiency affects mental health.
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Impacts on the brain
Your brain needs certain vitamins and minerals to work properly. When your brain doesn’t have the right vitamins, it can’t produce or regulate key neurotransmitters or maintain healthy nerve cells.
For example, your mood is largely dependent on your brain chemistry. So if your brain isn’t functioning as it should, you might notice that your mood feels lower or more unstable than usual.
Inflammation
Chronic inflammation in the brain has been linked to depression, anxiety, and cognitive decline. Some vitamins — like vitamins C and E — act as antioxidants, which protect your brain cells from inflammation and oxidative damage.
When you’re deficient in these nutrients, your brain may experience more inflammation, which can interfere with how well your neurons communicate with each other. This affects your overall emotional regulation.
Sleep habits
Certain vitamin deficiencies can also make it more difficult to sleep. For example, low levels of vitamin D and vitamin B12 have been linked to poor sleep quality and daytime fatigue.
When you’re sleep-deprived, you’re more likely to experience mental health symptoms, including depression and anxiety. Over time, this can create a cycle in which poor sleep worsens your mood, and your mood further disrupts your sleep.
Fatigue
Being vitamin-deficient can make you much more tired and fatigued. Chronic fatigue can feel a lot like depression — and the two often feed into each other. In addition, when you’re tired, you might find it harder to take care of yourself, exercise, or eat well, which could further affect your mental health.
Memory and focus
Vitamins also play an important role in memory, learning, and concentration. When you’re deficient in key nutrients like B vitamins or vitamin D, your cognitive function can decline.
This can make it harder to focus, remember details, or think clearly. Over time, this can add to frustration, irritability, and lower mood.
Vitamins linked to mental health
Research has found that many vitamins and minerals have direct links to mental health. This doesn’t mean that supplementing these vitamins can replace supports like therapy or medication. But you might notice that your mental health symptoms are more severe or harder to manage without these vitamins.
Vitamin D
Our bodies get vitamin D primarily through sunlight, although many people also need to take supplements. Research shows that vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of depression by up to 14%.
This may be because vitamin D receptors are found in parts of the brain that regulate mood and emotion. Specifically, vitamin D helps activate an enzyme needed to produce serotonin, a neurotransmitter associated with feelings of well-being and calm. People with depression, anxiety disorders, and other conditions often have lower serotonin levels.
B vitamins
B vitamins — including B6, B9 (folate), and B12 — are essential for your brain and nervous system. People who are deficient in these vitamins are more likely to live with depression, because the brain needs them to produce neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine. Almost 30% of people with severe depression have folate (vitamin B9) deficiency. Certain B-vitamin deficiencies can also make antidepressant medications less effective.
Vitamin E
Some research suggests that vitamin E may help reduce inflammation in the brain. Vitamin E deficiency has been linked to neurological conditions like Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an antioxidant that protects the brain from damage and stress. So if you’re deficient in vitamin C, you might experience symptoms of depression or fatigue. Supplementing vitamin C has been found to improve concentration and motivation.
Minerals, including zinc, iron, and magnesium
Minerals are slightly different from vitamins, but they’re just as essential for brain health. Deficiencies in minerals like zinc, iron, and magnesium have been linked to depression and other mental health conditions. These nutrients influence how your nervous system works, how hormones are balanced, and how neurotransmitters are released.
How to address vitamin deficiencies
Vitamin deficiencies alone don’t cause mental health conditions. So, it’s important to understand that vitamin supplements alone can’t manage mental health challenges. But addressing deficiencies — alongside therapy, medication, and other treatments — can significantly improve your symptoms and quality of life.Here are some ways to address your vitamin deficiencies and improve your mental health.
Get an evaluation
First, don’t make assumptions about what deficiencies you might have. If you suspect a vitamin deficiency, get evaluated by a medical provider.
It can be hard to know which vitamins you’re missing based on symptoms alone. Blood work and other tests can help identify specific deficiencies and guide your next steps.
Improve diet and nutrition
Even if you haven’t identified a specific deficiency, improving your diet may help you feel better physically and mentally. Research has found that diets high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats are linked to better mental health. If you know you have a deficiency, you can work with your provider to include more of those nutrients in your meals.
Discuss supplements* with your healthcare provider
Sometimes, diet alone isn’t enough. In these cases, supplements can help. Taking a daily multivitamin has been linked to better mental well-being. But if you’re not seeing results, it’s worth checking with your doctor to see what specific supplements might benefit you most.
Keep in mind that even over-the-counter supplements can be harmful in high doses or interact with medications. Always talk to a medical provider before starting something new.*A note on safety: Please note that supplements aren’t regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the same way as “conventional food and drug products.” For your safety, always check with a medical provider before taking an herb or supplement to manage your mental health.
Work with a therapist
While addressing vitamin deficiencies can improve your overall wellness, therapy can help you work through the emotional and behavioral aspects of mental health conditions. A therapist can help you identify thought patterns and habits that may be contributing to your symptoms.
See a nutritional psychiatrist
Nutritional psychiatrists are specially trained to address the mind-body connection through nutrition and diet. They may have more specialized knowledge about how certain vitamin deficiencies could be affecting your mental health and what you can do to address them.
Nutritional psychiatry isn’t meant to replace therapy or medication. But it can be a valuable complement and help you strengthen both your physical and mental health.
Nutrition plays a role in how we feel emotionally and mentally. So if someone is concerned that vitamin deficiencies might be related to their mental health symptoms, I would encourage them to bring this up with their psychiatric provider.
Halee Fullerton, PMHNP-BC
Clinical reviewer
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When you’re experiencing mental health challenges, it’s not always easy to know why. But vitamin deficiencies could be playing a role. Vitamin deficiencies and mental health are deeply connected. You can start to address these deficiencies after getting a medical evaluation for your unique symptoms.
Reaching out for professional support can also help you navigate the ways these two are intertwined. Addressing vitamin deficiencies is just one part of a bigger picture that includes therapy, psychiatry, and self-care.
At Rula, we’re committed to delivering a comprehensive behavioral health experience that helps people feel seen and understood so they can get back to feeling their best.
Rula makes it easier to find a licensed therapist or psychiatric provider who accepts your insurance so you don’t have to choose between affordable care and excellent care. With a diverse network of more than 15,000 providers, 24/7 crisis support, and appointments available as soon as tomorrow, we're here to help you make progress — wherever you are on your mental health journey.
Saya Des Marais
Saya graduated with her Master in Social Work (MSW) with a concentration in mental health from the University of Southern California in 2010. She formerly worked as a therapist and motivational interviewing trainer in community clinics, public schools, mental health startups, and more.
Her writing has been featured in FORTUNE, GoodRX, PsychCentral, and dozens of mental health apps and therapy websites. Through both her clinical work and her personal OCD diagnosis, she’s learned the importance of making empathetic and accurate mental health content available online.
She lives in Portland, Oregon but you can find her almost just as often in Mexico or in her birthplace, Tokyo.
Halee Fullerton, PMHNP-BC
Halee is a psychiatric nurse practitioner with experience treating children, adolescents, and adults. She has worked in outpatient community health with children/adolescents as well as inpatient substance use disorder treatment. She currently sees patients via outpatient telehealth. Before becoming a psychiatric nurse practitioner, she worked in emergency rooms, medical-surgical units, long-term care facilities (including Alzheimer/dementia units) and the intensive care unit.
She chose a career in mental health because she wanted to help people and to contribute to breaking down stigma around mental health. She is especially passionate about working with people who are navigating substance use disorders, depressive disorders, and anxiety/trauma-related disorders. She has three labradoodles that she adores.
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