Since psychotropic drugs can be prescribed only by a physician or psychiatrist, his or her judgment will determine whether a patient's difficulties seem to lend themselves to drug therapy. In cases involving serious anxiety, depression, or psychosis, it is {236} routine to expect drug therapy to be used, often in conjunction with psychotherapy. As we noted earlier, it is the hope of drug therapy that it will be needed only temporarily, but some chronic or periodically recurring conditions may be best treated by continued medication for a number of years. Since many of the psychotropic drugs are new, it is not known whether long-term use by some patients may ultimately affect their health adversely. Unless we decide to do without medication that can be a blessing in relieving great suffering, until long-term studies can be completed, the potential risks are there. It is a matter of weighing alternatives: on the one hand, perhaps incapacitating emotional or mental distress, and on the other, side effects that cannot be fully predicted. THERAPY THROUGH NUTRITION There is no question that nutritional deficiencies can influence the functioning of the brain and affect the personality. There are clear-cut cases, for example, of vitamin deficiencies that result in symptoms of psychological disturbance. The majority of these cases involve people who suffer from very evident malnutrition. Unfortunately, the connection between nutrition and mental health is still vague; biochemists are becoming more aware of the need to take into account _individual variations_. It is not always possible to specify exactly how much of a mineral, a vitamin, or an amino acid a person requires for good health. Some people, for many different reasons, cannot effectively utilize the food they eat. Others have allergic reactions to certain foods; some allergic reactions appear to be subtle, affecting a person's moods. Still other people seem to be especially sensitive to only moderate changes in their blood sugar levels. We have a great deal in common as biological organisms. Yet our biochemistries may be finely tuned in individual ways that would require a detailed and sophisticated understanding of an immense number of interrelated factors that boggle the mind in complexity. _Psychonutrition_ has a long road to follow before it will be a science. So-called holistic or orthomolecular (the "right" molecule) physicians and psychiatrists attempt to take individual variations and sensitivities into account. The need to do this may be essential in many cases, but dependable and exact methods of {237} evaluation and treatment simply do not exist as yet. Except in cases of outright malnutrition, finding connections between nutrition and emotional health is still an art.