If vegans do have higher rates of depression, it seems like there are several possible explanations:
1. It is indeed due to diet/nutrients.
2. There is a selection effect—people who go vegan are more likely to suffer from depression, but it’s not due to a vegan diet. For example, perhaps people who go vegan are less conformist/willing to go against social norms, and this corresponds to a psychological profile that increases risk of depression.
3. Relatedly, it may be that going vegan is distressing because of seeing other people’s animal consumption. This might not just be due to greater awareness of animal suffering, but because it creates a barrier between a vegan and friends/family/rest of society—i.e. the main driver may be social exclusion.
I’ve not looked at any literature on this—perhaps there are some studies which largely rule out 2 and 3. I expect it may be a combination of the explanations (anecdotally 2 and 3 are both true for me—I was anxious and depressed before going vegan. And veganism makes it harder to connect with some people, particularly e.g. when dating)
“there isn’t much reason for many classes of vegans/vegetarians to experience increased rate of depression due to distress about other people’s animal consumption: those who would identify health, environment, culture, some forms of religion, etc. as their primary motivation for their diet.”
I agree this is likely for those where their own health is the primary motivation. But I could easily imagine that people who intensely care about the environment, culture, or their religion being distressed (to the point of depression) when they are surrounded by a society that widely dismisses and often mocks their values.
If vegans do have higher rates of depression, it seems like there are several possible explanations:
1. It is indeed due to diet/nutrients.
2. There is a selection effect—people who go vegan are more likely to suffer from depression, but it’s not due to a vegan diet. For example, perhaps people who go vegan are less conformist/willing to go against social norms, and this corresponds to a psychological profile that increases risk of depression.
3. Relatedly, it may be that going vegan is distressing because of seeing other people’s animal consumption. This might not just be due to greater awareness of animal suffering, but because it creates a barrier between a vegan and friends/family/rest of society—i.e. the main driver may be social exclusion.
I’ve not looked at any literature on this—perhaps there are some studies which largely rule out 2 and 3. I expect it may be a combination of the explanations (anecdotally 2 and 3 are both true for me—I was anxious and depressed before going vegan. And veganism makes it harder to connect with some people, particularly e.g. when dating)
I agree this is likely for those where their own health is the primary motivation. But I could easily imagine that people who intensely care about the environment, culture, or their religion being distressed (to the point of depression) when they are surrounded by a society that widely dismisses and often mocks their values.