THE MICROMETRE-MENTAL HEALTH AXIS: A NEW FRONTIER IN MANAGING DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY

Abstract

The gut microbiome, in turn, has significant effects on mental health via the gut-brain axis, affecting depression and anxiety systems through the neural, immune, and metabolic systems. The study is a synthesis of 2020-2025 research about such mechanisms of neuroinflammation, the creation of neurotransmitters, and the metabolism of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), as well as interventions such as using probiotics, prebiotics, dietary additions, and even a medical process known as fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). This was done through a systematic literature search that gave 85 peer-reviewed works across PubMed, Scopus, and PsycINFO. Results support the connection between microbial dysbiosis and the severity of mood disorders and demonstrate the possible clinical prospects of this connection, although the remaining problems, such as the variation of the results in diverse patients and scarce clinical trials, remain. Microbial profiles, outcomes of interventions, and research designs are described with the help of tables and figures. Future development focuses on individualized treatments, the increased scale of trials, and integrations to promote mental health.