The death of a 21-year-old Swansea (UK) University student has been linked directly to her recently-adopted vegan diet. And her associated cessation of vitamin B12 supplements. A B12 deficiency can cause psychosis and delusions…
Testimony at an official inquest into the death described Georgina Owens (see photo, top of page) as, “a student who was vibrant, full of enthusiasm, passionate and well-liked by her peers and lecturers,” when she enrolled in Swansea University in Wales in 2018.
Owens had been on a vegan diet since 2016, but had been taking recommended vitamin and mineral supplements to make up for deficiencies in essential nutrients an all-plant diet can’t supply. But she stopped taking vitamin B12 supplements in 2019. Six months later, in August 2019, she committed suicide after developing a ‘psychiatric disorder’ that led to ‘delusional beliefs’.”
Deadly serious
A US National Library of Medicine report says, “Vitamin B12 deficiency can manifest solely as ATPD (Acute and Transient Psychotic Disorder), particularly in individuals following vegetarian diets.” The report recommends assessing B12 levels in patients presenting with psychosis. “Common psychiatric manifestations include depression, mania, psychotic symptoms, cognitive impairment, and delirium. These symptoms underscore vitamin B12’s vital role in maintaining mental well-being.”
A diary of decline…
According to the coroner’s report, Owen’s family reported she “demonstrated unusual erratic behav-iour in the period leading up to her death, and they provided diaries written by Miss Owen which they suggest demonstrates her erratic behaviour and a deterioration in her mental health in the immediate period before her death.”
She told her family she had begun meditating, and cited a ‘distressing’ out-of-body experience.
Shortly after that, she was found hanging in her shower. She was revived and rushed to hospital, but was found to be brain-dead.
Directly linked
Owes’ suicide was directly linked to her vitamin B12 deficiency in the conclusion of the coroner’s report, which stated that, at the time of her death, she was, “suffering delusional beliefs brought about by a Vitamin B12 deficiency developed as a direct result of her vegan diet.”
My take
Medical authorities know how important it is for vegetarians and vegans to take vitamin and mineral supplements to complete their nutritional profiles.
An anchor article on B12 Deficiency at the Cleveland Clinic website defines succinctly the condition and it’s consequences:
“Vitamin B12 deficiency, sometimes called cobalamin deficiency, happens when your body is either not getting enough or not absorbing enough vitamin B12 from the foods you eat. Vitamin B12 is an important nutrient that helps your body make red blood cells and DNA, the genetic material in all of your cells. It’s essential to how your body functions. Without treatment, vitamin B12 deficiency can cause physical, neurological and psychological problems.”
I’ve often pressed the point in posts in this space that vegans and vegetarians need to be thoughtful when choosing foods, to ensure they consume a ‘complete’ protein complex every day. The same goes for other essential nutrients. That, after all, is why they call them ‘essential’!
~ Maggie J.