This 2023 observational study, conducted over three consecutive years in a psychiatric clinic, followed adults receiving outpatient psychiatric care for different psychiatric disorders.
Of those patients, 291 had depression that did not respond to treatment, persistent iron deficiency, or digestive complaints, and were tested for the presence of Helicobacter pylori. After confirming the infection and treating it, most patients also received iron and vitamins B9 and B12 when needed.
The results were striking: 74% of H. pylori–positive patients who continued psychiatric follow-up reported improvement after treatment. They experienced reductions in symptoms such as apathy, loss of pleasure, anxiety, sadness, cognitive problems, derealization, and sleep disturbances.
Although these benefits may be linked to several biological mechanisms, including reduced brain inflammation and changes in how tryptophan is metabolized, as well as the removal of toxins produced by the bacteria the researchers suggest that screening and treating H. pylori infection may meaningfully support psychiatric care in selected patients.
Learn more about this study here: https://www.scientificliterature.org/Anxiety/Anxiety-23-136.pdf
Reference
Kassir Adel and Kassir Sarah. Helicobacter Pylori and Psychiatric Disorders: Comorbidity and Therapeutic Perspectives. Anxiety And Depression Journal. 2023; 4(1):136