Clinical perspectives on food choices and mental health

Project (M.S.W., Social Work) -- California State University, Sacramento, 2011.Mental illness currently affects 1 in 4 adults in America, which totals 58 million people who are affected by a mental illness (Kessler, Chiu, Demler, Walters, 2005). Emerging evidence suggests a connection between food choices and a person???s mental health although research is limited. This study explored how Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW), Marriage and Family Therapists (MFT), and Doctors of Psychology (Ph.D or Psy.D) perceive the impact of food choices on mental health and how these perceptions influence their assessments and/or interventions with clients. Participants believe food choices have an impact on a person???s mental health, regularly incorporating food choices into their assessments and interventions with mentally ill clients. The continued exploration of this topic is necessary for providing a comprehensive study to the causes of mental illness.Social Wor