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Major Mental Illness Biochemical Subtypes
As described by Dr. Carl Pfeiffer and the Pfeiffer Treatment Center. These symptom lists are generalizations and are not suitable for diagnosis of most people due to the wide ranging influences of these variables.
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*Pyroluria may overlap with methylation/histamine imbalances.
Subtypes
| High Histamine (under-methylated) | Low Histamine (over-methylated) | Pyroluria | High Copper (Hypercupremia) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common nutritional imbalances | Depressed calcium, methionine, B6 and excess folic acid | Depressed folate, B3, B12 and excess copper and methionine | Depressed zinc, B6, manganese and arachidonic acid (an omega-6 fat) | Excess copper and depressed zinc |
| Common neurotransmitter imbalances | High histamine and low serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine | Low histamine and elevated serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine | Low serotonin | Elevated norepinephrine and epinephrine |
| Laboratory tests* | Whole blood histamine over 70 ng/ml, elevated direct absolute basophils and low ceruloplasmin |
Whole blood histamine under 40 ng/ml, depressed direct absolute basophils and high serum copper |
Elevated urine kryptopyrroles | Serum copper over 140 mcg/dL and low ceruloplasmin |
| Cause of imbalances | Genetic tendency for under-methylation | Genetic tendency for over-methylation | Abnormal hemoglobin synthesis | High copper replica handbags |
| Beneficial supplements | Calcium, methionine, magnesium, zinc, TMG, omega-3 oils, B6, SAMe, inositol, A, C and E | B3, B12, DMAE, folate, choline, manganese, zinc, omega-3 oils, C and E | B-6, zinc, and Primrose Oil | Zinc, manganese, vitamin C and B6 |
| Potentially harmful supplements | Folate, choline, DMAE, copper and histidine | Methionine, SAMe, inositol, tryptophan, phenylalanine, St. John’s wort, tyrosine, copper, TMG and DMG. | Histidine, copper and omega-3 fatty acids. | Copper containing supplements and estrogen |
*Reference ranges vary with laboratory techniques.
**TMG = tri-methyl-glycine (betaine), DMG = di-methyl-glycine, SAMe = s-adenosyl-methionine, DMAE = di-methyl-amino-ethanol (deanor/deanol)
Biochemical subtype incidence for different mental health conditions
| High Histamine (under-methylated) |
Low Histamine (over-methylated) |
Pyroluria | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression | >50% | ~20% | ~20% |
| Bipolar Disorder | 35% | 25% | ~18% |
| Schizophrenia | 18% | 45% | 27% |
| OCD | Nearly all | ||
| Anorexia/Bulimia | Nearly all | ||
| Autism | 45% | 15% | 20% |
| General population | ~10% |
* > = greater than, < = less than, ~ = approximately