Magnesium defeciency may show up in many ways. Because depression in patients with chronic pain frequently goes undiagnosed, it often goes untreated. Pain symptoms and complaints take center stage on most doctors' visits. The result is depression, along with sleep disturbances, loss of appetite, lack of energy, and decreased physical activity which may make pain much worse. Do you have symptoms of clinical depression? In the U.S., 17% of people will experience depression at some point in their lives. An estimated 19 million people in the U.S. are currently suffering from depression. If you have chronic pain and depression, you've got plenty of company. That’s because chronic pain and depression are common problems that often overlap.

Excessive alcohol intake has been shown to cause renal magnesium wasting, which, if a diet is marginal in magnesium content, could place an individual at risk for magnesium depletion. Depression is more common in women than in men, with 25% of women suffering from depression severe enough to warrant treatment at least once during their lifetime. The good news about depression is that almost everyone suffering from this condition can be helped with treatment, so it is important to recognize the signs and symptoms of depression. If left untreated, symptoms of clinical or major depression may worsen and last for years. Recognizing the symptoms of depression is often the biggest hurdle to the diagnosis and treatment of clinical or major depression. Unfortunately, approximately half the people who experience symptoms never do get diagnosed or treated for their illness.

Indeed, nearly all chronic alcoholics have symptoms of magnesium depletion (Abbott et al., 1994). However, the evidence does not substantiate the suggestion that alcoholism is due to magnesium deficiency. Magnesium helps to support a strong immune system and maintains normal muscle and nerve function. It is also known to be involved in every metabolism and protein synthesis and is needed for over three hundred biochemical reactions in the body, so it is very important to physical as well as emotional health and depression.