We already know that mood disorders are running rampant in America – but it may be a lot worse than anyone thought.

I was alarmed when I read the numbers in Psychological Science: Half of all young adults suffer from anxiety disorders, 41 percent of them experience major depression, and a third are drinking too much.

These numbers double previous estimates.

It doesn’t take much to put two and two together on this one. These disorders are on the rise as our diets and lifestyles are at their worst. There’s a direct relationship, and I’ll tell you more about that in a moment.

But right now, I’m more concerned by this survey. Assuming the new numbers are accurate, and I have no reason to doubt them yet, the problem here is not the stats. It’s how they’ll be used – to push antidepressants.

Armed with this new information, Big Pharma could try to market these sometimes nnecessary drugs to “at-risk” people who show no signs of mental illness. They’ll tell you it’s a protective measure, but you and I both know their real dream is to sell these meds to every single one of us.

Antidepressants are some of Big Pharma’s most profitable drugs – and some of the most dangerous. Already, 27 million Americans take them, and now the drug lords will be working overtime to make sure the other 270 million of us join them, or at least have a chance to take one of their other equally bad mood meds.

They want us to believe that mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety can strike anyone out of the clear blue sky, and the only possible solution comes in a pill bottle.

But mental disorders don’t strike suddenly and for no reason. Some folks think that stress, relationship problems, or the loss of a job – situations we all face, all the time – can cause these conditions, and in some cases that may be true.

For the most part, however, these mental illnesses are caused by nutritional and hormonal deficiencies. Our diets aren’t just making us fatter, they’re literally rotting our brains, and that’s especially true of our younger generations who’ve been raised on nutrition-free processed foods.

Keep eating that way into adulthood – as many do – and you’ll find your brain practically starving. No wonder so many people end up mentally ill.

And there is not a single drug – not even one – that can fix it.

So if you’re battling mental illness, work with your doctor to find the real solution. Eat right and avoid carbs. In some cases, you may need specific nutrients or hormones to help correct the deficiency – the lack of essential fatty acids, methyl donors, tryptophan and the B vitamins are often at the heart of the problem.

The most important thing is that you give your brain the food it needs – not a drug that will hurt it even more.