My initial choice to discontinue eating animals was in response to a debilitating depression and what seemed to be uncontrollable panic attacks. The circumstance made it clear to me that what was needed was an entirely new way of being - that new way of being meant to live as kindly as I possible could, which in turn meant no longer consuming animals or engaging in activities that promoted their exploitation.

Did those choices relieve the depression and anxiety? I can attest that the were critical, as were other factors, to recovering a sense of joy and well being. The specific benefits of the choices included:

1. Feeling empowered - being able to chose, commit and activate such a huge life change enhanced the knowledge that I could do anything and that I was not a victim of my circumstance. Feeling victimized, powerless and hopeless were all strong symptoms of the depression and anxiety. Countering those feelings with empowerment and discipline was very valuable to banishing them.
2. Increased health - It is hard to feel good when you are physically unhealthy. Changing my nutrition resulted in losing weight and feeling more energetic. Additionally, being in a physically healthier state provided a perspective that was otherwise unavailable - that being that the Standard American Diet and it resulting state of health is not normal. It is a state of heavy, sluggish, energy-enough only to make it through the day unhealthiness. Feeling physically better allowed me to see that what I previously thought was "feeling good" was so much less than that. I was not only emotionally unwell, I was physically unhealthy and did not know it.
3. Provided a subject of interest - having the subject of healthy, plant-based eating as an area to study and concentrate my attention assisted with the lifting of the fog of listlessness and disinterest that was a symptom of the depression. Growing in healthy and feeling better made me intensely interested in learning more about how to optimize what I was experiencing. There was a goal worth working toward and intuition that the future could grow brighter -- the polar opposite of the pessimism and nihilism of depression.

It is beyond my knowledge to make the claim that depression can be cured by a vegan lifestyle, however, in my experience, depression is an indication that some elements of life are out of alignment. Making choices that enhance life, provide a point of reference with which to right your life and enhance your awareness of your own empowerment are “good medicine”.