Going to Altitude With Anxious-depressive Symptoms

Introduction: Currently, there is a lack of international guidelines or clinical recommendations for individuals with mental illnesses (i.e., bipolar disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder) going on high altitude sojourns. However, these guidelines would be important considering that mental illnesses are among the most common disorders worldwide and millions of people are hiking at high altitudes in the Alps, being granted easy access up to 3800m by cable cars. Before conceptualizing these guidelines, it seems necessary to study the physiological and psychological effects of ambient pressure changes leading to oxygen deficiency (hypoxia) in individuals with mental illnesses when being exposed to hypoxic conditions. The investigators hypothesize a shift towards negative affective responses and state anxiety as well as increased levels of neurotransmitter precursor amino acids (PHE/TYR an