A Guide To What Works For Anxiety Disorders - Mental Health First Aid

Foods rich in tryptophanOur ratingOur ratingGAD? Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia ?PTSD and ASD? Specific Phobias ?Social Phobia? OCD ?WHAT IS IT?Tryptophan is a building block of protein. Foods rich in tryptophan areprotein-based foods such as meat and dairy.HOW IS IT MEANT TO WORK?Tryptophan is a building block of serotonin, a brain chemical that has arole in reducing anxiety. It is thought that one way of increasing levelsof tryptophan in the brain is to consume foods rich in tryptophan alongwith high glycemic index (GI) carbohydrates.DOES IT WORK?Social PhobiaOne small study has evaluated de-oiled pumpkin seed (a rich sourceof tryptophan) as a treatment for Social Phobia. Adults consumed oneof two bars and then completed an anxiety-producing task. One barcontained pumpkin seed and sugar, and the other contained the sameamount of sugar, but no pumpkin seed. Results showed some benefitof the pumpkin seed bar, but results were not conclusive.Other anxiety disordersThere is no evidence on whether foods rich in tryptophan work forGAD, PTSD, Panic Disorder, Specific Phobias or OCD.ARE THERE ANY RISKS?There are no known risks.Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)Our ratingOur ratingGAD? Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia ?PTSD and ASD? Specific Phobias ?Social Phobia? OCD ?WHAT IS IT?Extracts of the leaves of the ginkgo tree are available as a supplement.HOW IS IT MEANT TO WORK?This is not understood. It is thought it may play a role in suppressingthe body’s response to stress.DOES IT WORK?GADOne study has been carried out on 107 adults with GAD or otheranxiety problems. They took daily doses of 480mg ginkgo, 240mgginkgo, or placebo (dummy pills) for four weeks. Ginkgo improvedanxiety more than placebo and the higher dose of ginkgo was betterthan the lower dose.Other anxiety disordersThere is no evidence on whether ginkgo works for PTSD, SocialPhobia, Panic Disorder, Specific Phobias or OCD.ARE THERE ANY RISKS?No risks were found in the study above.RECOMMENDATIONThere is not enough good evidence to say whether ginkgo works.RECOMMENDATIONThere is not enough good evidence to say whether foods rich intryptophan work for anxiety disorders.47