KEY POINTS:
Want to feel happier? Then smile, eat seaweed, get a new hairstyle, send fewer emails, go dancing, spend less money - and don't just pop pills. Or so says one of the UK's most eminent scientists.
In a controversial book, Professor Jane Plant, a chief scientific adviser to Gordon Brown's Government, proposes a raft of unorthodox treatments for the millions of Britons who suffer from anxiety, stress and depression.
Instead of just popping "happy pills" such as Prozac to beat the blues, Plant and her co-author, Janet Stephenson, advise sufferers to take steps such as avoiding dairy products, sending fewer text messages, eating porridge at night and playing card games. They say all their tips are based on hard scientific evidence gathered from studies around the world.
"Smiling is a way of tricking your brain into thinking that everything's okay, even if it's not," said Plant.
"People who are mildly depressed should do their best to show the world a happy face as that will improve people's reaction to you and lift your mood."
In Beating Stress, Anxiety and Depression, Plant and Stephenson urge a radical overhaul of the way the UK's health service (NHS) treats the soaring number of people with some form of mood disorder.
They advise sufferers to increase their intake of mood-boosting chemicals by eating kippers or poached haddock for breakfast because they contain omega-3 fatty acids, and to be less materialistic, as those who achieve success may do so at the expense of relationships - a better guarantee of happiness.
Plant, a professor of environmental geochemistry at Imperial College in London, is the Government's chief adviser on toxic chemicals and a trustee of Prince Charles's Foundation for Integrated Medicine, while Stephenson is a psychologist working within the NHS.
"We do not agree with the usual advice to 'keep taking your medication and eventually all will be well, because doctor knows best'," they write.
They say that anyone with low self-esteem should ignore celebrity culture as much as possible because it may make them feel even worse when they don't match up to pop stars or TV presenters.
They also recommend improving your appearance through a new hairstyle, clothes or make-up because this can improve self-confidence. One in six people can expect to experience depression, however briefly, at some point in their lives and around 2.4 million are affected by an anxiety disorder. A study recently suggested Prozac and similar drugs may have little value.
The UK's National Institute of Clinical Excellence, which advises on treatment in the NHS, already says that psychological "talking therapies", involving one-on-one sessions, can be just as effective as drugs. Antidepressants alone cost the NHS £300 million ($800m) a year and most family doctors admit that they prescribe too many.
Plant and Stephenson argue that human contact, face-to-face or over the telephone, and the "people skills" to both talk and listen meaningfully are useful. However, emailing and texting are individualistic and isolating processes which people should do less.
The distinguished neurologist Lord Walton of Detchant praised their work.
In the latest issue of the journal Science in Parliament, he writes that it is an "admirable book, which would do much to alleviate the fear, helplessness and hopelessness which many feel when suffering from mental ill-health".
Paul Corry, of the London-based mental health charity Rethink, said the authors were right to stress that some patients could be successfully helped with non-drug treatments, such as talking therapies and lifestyle changes. And sufferers should always receive a personally tailored treatment plan rather than routinely being given antidepressants.
But he argued there was less evidence to back claims certain foods could help alleviate symptoms of mental health disorders.
"We certainly wouldn't recommend that you could eat or drink your way out of depression, anxiety or schizophrenia, although they do have a role to play," said Corry.
THE DIET
* Avoid dairy products
* Send fewer text messages
* Forget about celebrities
* Talk on the phone
- OBSERVER
