Does veganism make you depressed?

Hello and welcome to Eight Years In! Today we’re talking about veganism and depression. This is a very important topic that I don’t think gets talked about often enough in the vegan community, and I wanted to change that today. So let’s get real and talk about all of these depressed vegans!

Why don’t we talk about it?

I first want to explore why we are often so silent about this. It’s true that society in general has a history of being silent about depression. The stigma around mental illness is very real. That being said, I believe the vegan community goes beyond even the regular stigma that already exists around depression. And some of you may be wondering why–I know I was.

I believe this comes from a tendency to want to protect veganism, as an idea. Since veganism is a philosophy that comes from an ethical and moral standpoint, vegans are really quite protective of it, considering that anything less than veganism is considered an unethical choice. So it makes sense that they will be evasive when it comes to things that may paint veganism in an unflattering light.

I have seen many a vegan act as though veganism is a cure-all. Any disease you have, being vegan will fix it. And depression, to these people, falls into this category. A depressed vegan makes their panacea of an argument fall apart. I really don’t support veganism being touted in this way. It’s true that a healthy vegan lifestyle can produce vibrant results, and it usually does. But that doesn’t mean anything that’s wrong with you will automatically just disappear after a certain amount of time being vegan.

As vegans, we often think that if we show veganism in only the best light, it will become more attractive to nonvegans and they’ll decide to go vegan themselves. And in general, yes, that’s a good idea. But when you take it to this extreme, it’s not good for anyone. It does a disservice to the people you’re talking to by misleading them. Veganism is not a cure-all. And if you sell it as one, people will be very upset when it doesn’t deliver. However, it also makes it difficult for the people who are both vegan and still have some sort of ailment. It can make them feel invisible or put people under the impression that they are a “lesser vegan” or “not really vegan at all”. In the case of depression, it complicates the process of getting help.

So…vegans get depressed too?

All this to say that yes, vegans definitely get depressed too. In fact, I am a person who is both vegan and has been depressed throughout the course of my life. However, it’s not just that vegans also get depressed. In fact, we see statistics that vegans are more likely to be depressed than nonvegans. Now, I’m not going to speak to the accuracy or inaccuracy of these statistics. Because the truth is, I’m not a scientist or a researcher, and I don’t want to overstep these bounds.

But I did want to talk about this, because assuming this is the case, I have a couple of thoughts as to why it might be, having experience with both veganism and depression. I am the overlap, so to speak. And I see all of these vegans attempting to put on a happy-all-the-time wellness facade on. To me, that is both a recipe for failure and a disservice to their audience. (And, often enough, it leads us feeling upset when they finally do admit that they’ve been struggling, because we’ve been misled.) So let’s talk about why vegans might be more likely to be depressed.

Chicken or the egg?

So first of all, I do want to point out that we don’t know that veganism would contribute to the cause of depression instead of the other way around. In my case, I struggled with depression long before I ever went vegan. And I could definitely see that being the case with many other people, as well.

I think that for me, my struggle with mental illness made me more sympathetic to the pain and suffering of others, which could have lended itself to the empathy that I feel for the nonhuman animals. It hurts me that they are being used, abused, and killed.

If suffering makes us more likely to be able to feel empathy for others, perhaps it can extend further than we thought. Perhaps it often does. And in this case, I would expect that more people who struggle with their mental health would be likely to go vegan.

And then, of course there’s the obligatory comment that I have to make here that correlation doesn’t equal causation. Especially around the time when these statistics were originally from, veganism was such a small subgroup of the population that I wouldn’t be that surprised if the vegans they just happened to find were also depressed. However, veganism is growing. And I hope that as veganism grows, we will also see a decrease in this statistic.

But what if veganism does cause depression?

I think that it’s important to note that no one thing causes depression. However, it’s also important to remember that many things can contribute to it. And I don’t think that avoiding this question is a good idea for vegans or anyone vegan-curious. Because if we don’t take time to actually examine it, we don’t know where it might be coming from, and we’ll never be able to fix it. So let’s admit that veganism can contribute to depression, and other mental illnesses, just as a baseline. And see where we end up. Because if veganism (the philosophy that it’s morally unjustified to use, harm, and kill animals for your own comfort and pleasure) is that sound (which, spoiler alert, it is) then it will hold up against this scrutiny.

The mental side

Speaking of which, let’s check back in about what veganism is. Don’t worry, I’m not going to rattle off the vegan society’s definition again. (Although you can find it here, if you’re not familiar.) No, what I want to talk about is that piece of veganism that is philosophical. Mental, emotional. The fact is that a vegan is more than just somebody who eats plant based. A vegan will be aware of the barrage of death, cruelty and captivity that is continually perpetuated against nonhuman animals and be against it. This is what guides their actions, such as plant based eating, not consuming products that have been tested on animals, not buying leather, and so on and so forth.

I’d posit this awareness would contribute more to depression (and other mental illnesses, too) than the actions that follow it. The fact is, this world is extremely brutal when you look at it through the eyes of the animals we eat, breed, use, and test our products on. They are individuals who are born to be used and then disposed of at the whim of others, trapped without choice, and this life by most is considered “good” if they’re only terrorized when they’re being killed (which is what we bred them for in the first place). This is atrocity. And it’s going on every day, systemically, on purpose, in numbers so big that the average person has no way of relating to them. And most people don’t know or care.

This awareness isn’t fun. It’s not easy. It’s not sunshine and rainbows and “oh look at my pretty vegan salad”. No. It’s horrific. Many people, instead of letting this awareness in, cope by ignoring it and numbing out. But that doesn’t take away your complicity in it. The truth is, what is being done to the nonhuman animals is depressing. And if you see it for what it is, there are times when you’re going to have to deal with some pretty heavy vibes. Not to mention the awareness that everything you thought you knew about animal agriculture has been pretty much a lie and that people you otherwise thought to be good people just don’t care about the cruelty being inflicted for their “personal choice”. It is incredibly depressing.

And I want to take a second out to say that if you’re a vegan currently experiencing very heavy emotions, please read this post about what to do with the vegan anger. I’ve been vegan since 2013, and I get it. You have such a good heart. Here’s how to take care of it and still affect change.

Vitamin D?

So after reading that, you many be thinking, well that’s certainly enough reason that vegans might be more depressed. And you’d be right. But that’s still not the only reason I can think of, so let’s soldier on.

Another thing that might be contributing to vegans being more depressed is vitamin D deficiency. Now, I’m not saying that vegans are more likely to be deficient in vitamin D. I don’t have the stats on that. However, vitamin D does play into depression quite a bit. We see it most obviously in those that struggle with seasonal depression, but it also rears its head in general depression as well. If you’re deficient, you’ll feel less than sunny. That’s for sure.

Like I said, vitamin D deficiency is not a solely vegan problem. But I can see it being difficult to figure out where to get vitamin D on a vegan diet, especially in the beginning. And since many vegans like to tout the “veganism is perfect and natural” argument, these individuals may be less likely to supplement when needed.

If you’re concerned about vitamin D as a vegan, talk to a professional who can help you, or at least take a look at this link by Lettuce Veg Out (a site run by a vegan RD) https://lettucevegout.com/vegan-nutrition/vitamin-d/

So now comes the bomb, as it were. Being vegan can be very isolating. It doesn’t have to be. There are ways to find community both in and outside of veganism. And this is one of the issues that I try to tackle here on my site, how to make for a better vegan social life. (I have a whole category of posts devoted to social interactions as a vegan, because I think it is absolutely key to long-term veganism.) But the fact is that, especially without knowing how to navigate this new lifestyle, veganism can kind of ruin your social life.

As I mentioned before, most people just simply don’t care about the injustice that’s going on behind the scenes everyday. And that can make it difficult to bond with others, because how could they not care? But even if we just completely took that aspect away, veganism still can contribute to a social hurdle.

While veganism is getting far more popular and acceptable in society today, it has a long way to go. There are still many people who are neither familiar with or agreeable to veganism, which can make social gatherings challenging.

If you go to a party and find that the only thing you can consume are chips and some raw celery, you’re not going to want to stay there and dance the night away, that’s for sure. And unfortunately, this is still the case for many gatherings and even restaurants. People who do not know you very well may feel offended if you turn down their food, regardless of if or how you tell them why. Not to mention if you object to going to things they might consider fun, like the zoo or Seaworld, for example.

These obstacles to “normal social things” can make it difficult to continue social life as usual, and as many of us have learned through the global pandemic, a hit to the social life can have bad consequences when we’re talking about mental health. (Click here to browse through my posts about social interactions to learn how to minimize this effect.)

You are not “normal”

And this next point I want to make is kind of in between the mental and emotional side and the social side, but it’s this idea that once you go vegan, you’re not part of the “norm” anymore.

There are lots of good things about being vegan, but being able to blend into the crowd is just not one of them at this point. Once you go vegan, you’re “different” to nonvegans, even though you’re still the same person. They have you bookmarked in their head as “that vegan I know”, especially if you’ve been vegan for some time. This isn’t all bad. In fact, I’ve seen the positives in my own personal life. You become the go-to person when they hear about something vegan or have a question, and in that way, it’s pretty flattering. But on the negative side, this othering can have a pretty gnarly emotional effect.

The fact is, all of us are just people. And sometimes being vegan means that people don’t look at you as a person. They look at you as a message. A message, often, that they’re doing something wrong. Even if you don’t convey this message, often their subconscious will do it for them. And then, you become “an issue”. They might pick a fight with you for no reason. They might make fun of you. Or they might just stare at you rudely as you eat a tofu stir-fry because you’re “so weird”.

I wouldn’t be surprised if this othering leads to higher instance of depression. This is another thing that I try to combat on my site by honestly answering some of the more common (though sometimes obnoxious) questions that vegans get asked by carnists. By opening up some of this dialogue, we normalize vegans and veganism and show that we’re all just people. But emotionally, when it’s in your daily life, it can build up and produce some pretty negative results if you let it get to you.

Speaking out is hard

And the final thing I consider, when it comes to vegans and depression is that it’s really emotionally difficult to stand up for what you believe is right. And when you live as a vegan, your whole life is standing up for what you believe is right. You’re a living resistance of a very cruel system that’s in place that most people have simply accepted.

It’s tiring and sometimes upsetting to be living a life, out loud. To be standing up for someone else’s rights, no matter what anyone else thinks. And as a vegan, we often feel the pressure that we have to do more. Always more. Because this business of animal agriculture is huge, and comparatively speaking, we’re so tiny. This perspective that you always need to be standing up and standing out can overtake you and bring you into an empathy burnout or nihilistic depression, if you take it to its natural conclusion. And I think that not many vegans have a consistent balance.

If you’re suffering from this perspective, remember that you can’t do it all, but you can do something. Read my post about how there’s no such thing as a perfect vegan or about trying your best. Remember that you too, deserve your own empathy and kindness. And work on affecting change in the ways that you can, instead of being overwhelmed and depressed by the ways you can’t.

Yes, some vegans are depressed

So I want to close out this post by saying yes, some vegans get depressed. Some depressed people go vegan. And in my opinion, that doesn’t make either one of these things any less important. If you have depression, please go seek help for it. It doesn’t matter if your veganism is contributing to it or not in the sense that you still deserve care. And if you’re considering going vegan, it’s good to be aware of the possible downfalls of this lifestyle. It’s not all going to be sunshine and rainbows and pretty salads.

But there are a lot of good parts about it as well, not the least of which is that you won’t be contributing to this systematic use, abuse, and killing of nonhuman animals who did nothing to us. Living in alignment with your values is immeasurably rewarding, and for me personally, helped with my mental health. If you want to hear more about the good parts about going vegan, then read this post.

Thank you for reading my thoughts. If you’re looking for more vegan content, be sure to subscribe to the blog. And if you know someone who’s considering veganism or is already vegan and struggles with depression, please share this post with them to help them on their journey. As usual, have a fantastic day.