Aromatherapy For Mood Disorders
by Dr. Linda Kennedy, MS SLP ND
Almost 21 million people in the United States or 10% of the adult population suffer from a mood disorder (Kessler 2005). Anxiety and depression are among the most common and most difficult to treat of these disorders. Billions of dollars are spent each year on prescription medications to treat anxiety and depression. However, these medications are only modestly effective, expensive and can result in strong addictions and severe side effects. Clearly, there is a great need for a therapy that is safe, efficacious and cost-effective.
Over the last two decades, there has been great interest in alternative medical therapies for the treatment of mood disorders. One such treatment has been extensively studied and has been shown to have great promise in the treatment of these disorders. This treatment is aromatherapy.
Aromatherapy utilizes essential oils derived from plants to enhance physical and emotional well-being. Aromatherapy has been used for stimulation and for sedation depending on the particular oil used for thousands of years. Aromatherapy can be administered in several different ways although the most common are direct aromatherapy inhalation and aromatherapy massage.
Aromatherapy has been used to treat various conditions and diseases. The essential oils that are integral to aromatherapy have distinct physiological effects depending on the oil that is used. Many of these oils have anti-anxiety properties including geranium, lavender, mandarin and rose.
