Toxic Mold May Trigger Psychiatric Symptoms

Depression Linked to Mold

Depression Linked to Mold

Experts regularly warn about toxic mold as a risk to your physical health, particularly the upper respiratory system. A noted mental health professional recently spoke about the lesser-known link between toxic mold and psychiatric symptoms.

Mold and Biotoxin Illness

Dr. Mary Ackerley of Tucson is an integrative psychiatrist who uses alternative treatments with patients who don’t respond to traditional methods. She is also certified in the Shoemaker Protocol for treating biotoxin illness and chronic inflammatory response.

While Dr. Ackerley was originally unaware of the dangers of mold, she had her first experience with a patient who presented with depression and brain fog along with stomach pains and chronic sinus infections. It turned out that remodeling of the woman’s home had uncovered extensive mold.

The Mold-Brain Connection

Cytokines are proteins that regulate the body’s immune response to foreign organisms. When cytokines are at elevated levels, such as during prolonged exposure to mycotoxins in mold, they can result in neuroinflammation, triggering these psychiatric symptoms.

Dr. Ackerley cited another case of a woman who began suffering from extreme depression and anxiety when her husband performed DIY mold remediation at their home. The doctor pointed out the irony of these patients being told depression is “all in their head” only to discover that there are clear physical causes.

Stern Mold: Effective Mold Remediation for NYC and Northern NJ

As in the cases of these patients, traditional mold remediation can actually aggravate toxic mold symptoms rather than relieve them. Contact us to learn more about our non-toxic, non-invasive MoldExterm process and schedule your free mold inspection by our experienced professional technicians.