Deep fry it, cover it in chocolate and bacon first...
chocolate and bacon

This is interesting. I have tried many things, crossed many palms with silver in my quest for mental health. One of the things I've noticed is (du-uh) that I FEEL better when I eat properly. Much better, and quickly too.

Unfortunately, "properly" is almost the polar opposite of the mainstream US diet. It's quite difficult, nearly impossible for me to eat in restaurants the way I do at home. Whole grains are almost non-existent, for starters. Lots of sodium, many menu items fried or sauteed in way too much oil, etc.

I'm on Weight Watchers the way others are in AA. I've lost 70 pounds and kept it off for several years, but I have to keep going to maintain myself. I use what they call the "core" program, which is pretty much the Mediterranean diet since I use olive oil exclusively. I started eating this way to lose weight but was astonished that I just plain old FELT so much better in every way--sharper mentally, more energy, etc.--in less than a week. It's pretty motivating to eat right when it pays off that way.

Of course... they've now discontinued that program and buried it into their regular plan. They push a lot of their proprietary, expensive junky food, which I find annoying. There's a lot of good to be had from WW but the food they manufacture isn't it.

A good friend of mine, who runs a feed and grain store, told me many years ago "Sherry, I think your depression is caused by a lot of things and that you will find it's a matter of correcting a lot of small things that will fix it." She was so right. I am guilty of wanting the Big Fix, but my feed store friend proved correct in the end. Walking, eating right, pruning the soul suckers out of my life, getting off meds and away from psychiatrists, working on my PTSD issues and (as many of you are probably soooo sick of hearing) correcting my hypothyroidism have all played their part. No Big Fix for me, but I've probably learned more in the end.

There are all kinds of reasons to adopt a Mediterranean diet aside from the benefits of reducing the risk of depression. It pays off all across the health spectrum: heart, overweight, etc. In fact, the study's findings may be due to general well-being, as opposed to depression-specific outcomes. The benefits of exercise in reducing the risk of depression and other ills are along the same lines, despite cultural differences. In dealing with any diagnosis (physical or mental), you should use as many tools and techniques as possible, both as preventative and curative medicine.