Here was my own eye-opener with regards to nutrition and mental health:
an introduction to a chapter on the B-vitamin complex that I read in a nursing textbook on nutrition
opened with an anecdote about how in the early 1900's, newly learned attention to nutrition
actually changed the course of one hospital for its mentally ill patients.

This facility was cutting edge for its time, and they’d made news by adding a nutritionist to their staff.
In addition to increasing nutritional standards in the kitchen,
she promptly put all the patients on the same daily vitamin regimen.
Little by little the patients began to get better and to go home until ultimately,
the hospital closed entirely because so many patients had gone home.

What was her “miracle drug?”

Vitamin B complex.

No kidding.

In The Complete Book of Vitamins (Rodale Press, 1977), there’s a handy chart titled “Vitamins at a Glance”
which lists the separate components of the B-complex.
One column heading is “Preventive and/or Therapeutic Applications.”
In other words, what a vitamin can heal/cure/support.
Often times this column also indicates what the lack of a vitamin can cause.

Quoting from under that heading for B-complex vitamins and components,
here is a partial list of just the mind-related conditions that B-complex deals with:
“stress-induced diseases, emotional stability, nervous disorders, fatigue, personality disturbances, dementia, stress, weakness, irritability, mental fatigue, insomnia, schizophrenia, depression, and mental illness.”
Please note that nervous disorders, depression, insomnia, and mental illness
are mentioned in a number of the vitamin’s components.

Read on to find out how and why our new nutritionist was able to close down that hospital ...

=]

(cont'd)

Before giving the nutritional support of vitamin B-complex a try,
there are a couple things to know
about the “care and feeding” of this valuable supplement..

1. It’s very fragile and easily destroyed by excessive cooking, heat, or sunshine.

2. Stress also destroys B-complex, as does caffeine and smoking.

3. Among other foods like eggs, liver, brewer’s yeast, etc., B-complex is found in green leafy vegetables.

4. B-complex is a water soluble vitamin, meaning that it’s difficult to overdose,
because the body doesn’t store what it can’t use.
Instead it’s excreted through urine, which will turn a bit green. That’s okay.
This colour change helps keep track of your body's needs.
When the tinge is greenish, it means you’re getting enough vitamin B complex,
and excreting the excess.

Remember, because it can’t be stored by the body, Vitamin B-complex needs to be replenished daily.

5. For maximum benefit, vitamin B-complex should be taken with vitamin C to work efficiently.
Because vitamin C is ascorbic acid, it breaks down the B-complex for easier use by the body.
Vitamin C is also water soluble. You pee what you don’t use.
Vitamin C gives a distinct yellowish hue to urine. Together with B-complex’s greenish tendency,
it’s easy to keep tabs on intake by colour. And keep watch.
On the day you realize you have a healthy sense of well-being, that you feel safe, peaceful, content,
make note of your pee colour because it’s telling you whatever doseage you are taking,
is your maintenance level – what you need daily to enjoy a healthy sense of well being.

6. It’s advisable to take B-complex with meals, or at least with milk.
While many can tolerate it on an empty stomach with water,
some need food or milk to avoid nausea.
Nausea can also indicate a need to increase the amount of vitamin C taken.

7. Although the components of vitamin B-complex can be purchased separately,
they need to be balanced and in ratio with each other.
It's best to start by purchasing a complete complex and build (supplement) if necessary from there.
(For example, my body requires a higher dose of pyroxidine, or B6, than is usually present
in most purchased B-complexes, so I supplement).

8. If you already take a multivitamin, or if you’re looking to begin taking a multivitamin,
a good rule of thumb is to check how much B-complex the multi-vitamin contains,
and if the B-complex is even complete.
A lot of national brands aren’t complete, and if a multi-vitamin isn't complete,
it won’t work, meaning, you’re wasting your money.
So do check labels.

Still with me?
Read on to figure out how much your body needs for optimum benefits.
=]

(cont'd)

The key to a good multi-vitamin is a good B-complex (minimun: 50 mg.) 
For that reason, I can't urge you enough (and I probably will often) to check the one you're using. 
If the B-complex isn't complete - 
or if the amounts of it are ridiculously low (and believe me, some will make you laugh) -
then you're seriously wasting your money. 
But more imporantly, you won't see the benefits you're looking for.

Following is the list of B-complex components. 
The main components make up first group. 
The second group is made up of the trace elements of B-complex. They're equally as important. 
(AIUI, B-complex has trace elements so small that they haven't been measured.)

B1 - Thiamine
B2 - Riboflavin
B3 - Niacin
B6 - Pyridoxine
B12 - 

Folic Acid (sometimes called B9)
Biotin (sometimes called B5)
Choline
Inositol
Pantothentic Acid
PABA (para-amino-benzoic-acid)

Anyway, you could cut, paste, and print that for your wallet, to have a reference when you're shopping. 
Or as a Beliefnet member pointed out, there are 11 components total – 
if you’re buying a B-complex formula, rather than a multi-vitamin, 
just count the ingredients to make sure there’s 11.

Here’s  a link to a resource page on B-complex on a site called “How It Works." scroll down slightly

As it's explained, each component of the complex is a world of healing unto itself - but only within the complex. 

One more thing, when you hear people say that we get enough vitamins from our food:
you tell them, that's a myth, 
and it comes from a perfect world where life is good and everything's beautiful. 

In this world, the body lives in dangerous times. 
Environmental pollutions attack from the outside, 
toxins attack from the inside, 
even our food is under attack with pollution like food preservatives and pesticides.

IME, I'm not altogether convinced that drugs are the complete answer in addressing mental health issues.
I suspect that vitamins would pick up quite a bit of the load 
if the medical community as a whole would quit dragging its feet on nutritional issues. 

IMO, before drugs and even with drugs, let's try vitamins ... 
Certainly, as quidelines, there's safety in following the vitamin/mineral amounts 
that Dr. Rosenberg's book (see above) suggests. 

*pauses thoughtfully*

Well, but then again, maybe there's a way we could meet our daily vitamins requirements from food alone - 
if we all wanted to be as big as houses! 

=D

Next: What's a natural vitamin?

Okay, so you've decided to give vitamins a try.
Good for you!!
Truly!!

Now, you get to choose further – multi-vitamin or B-complex with supplementation?
pill, capsule, or liquid?
The truth is, it's really your preference.
If you opt for a multivitamin, make sure you’re getting one
with a complete B-complex of at least 50mg. to start.
If you opt to start with a B-complex, and if you don't get the desired results,
Dr. Rosenberg, author of The Doctor's Book of Vitamin Therapy (New York 1974) suggests
increasing the amount up to, on the average, 200-300 mg for a formula B-complex
[depends specifically on wt, gender, age, lifestyle - see above].

Any form - tablet, pill, liquid - is effective,
so long as it is accompanied by vitamin C for easiest assimilation.
With vitamin C, I target an intake of 2000-5000mg. daily.
Chewables are handy, but hard on tooth enamel for regular use.
Powder is an option if you do a daily health drink like a smoothie, say.
I use a product called EmerGen-C put out by Alacer Corp.
It comes in a ton of flavours in little packets that make a fizzy drink –
the “fizziness” is part of its nutritional delivery system, but I don’t remember the details;
they’re explained in the pamphlet that comes inside the package.

Again, I'm not a healthcare professional –
But I am a fierce believer in the power of being a wise consumer,
and I am simply sharing public information.

=]

Next: Questions we didn't cover

Hello there,

I do believe there is something constructive to taking the B vitamins, especially B6.  When I am feeling "sluggish" I take it.  Perhaps, taking them on a regular basis would be a better thing.  Also, Magnesium seems to work wonders for me as well.  I discussed this with my cardiologist, and he says it has something to do with electrolites in the body.  Anyway, it brings about a calming effect for me.  I would not take a trip without it.