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Metabolism, Lifestyle, and Mental Health
Metabolism, Lifestyle, and Mental Health
Learning Objectives
1. Review the theory that metabolic disruptions may be the root cause of mental disorders
2. Cite evidence of psychiatric medications impacting metabolic problems
3. Outline some of the evidence and strategies for using lifestyle interventions in the treatment of mental illness
Abstract
The brain energy theory integrates decades of neuroscience, genetic, psychological, social, and epidemiological research into one theory: mental disorders are metabolic disorders of the brain. This new theory includes all the known biopsychosocial risk factors for mental illness and leads to entirely new ways to treat these disorders, with the goal of remission, recovery, and long-term healing. Perhaps unsurprisingly, lifestyle medicine is a cornerstone of good mental health.
Dr. Christopher M. Palmer
Psychiatrist & Researcher
Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Univ. School of Medicine
Dr. Christopher M. Palmer is a Harvard psychiatrist and researcher working at the interface of metabolism and mental health. He is the Founder and Director of the Metabolic and Mental Health Program and the Director of the Department of Postgraduate and Continuing Education at McLean Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. For 30 years, he has held administrative, educational, research, and clinical roles in psychiatry at McLean and Harvard. He has been pioneering the use of the medical ketogenic diet in the treatment of psychiatric disorders—conducting research in this area, treating patients, writing, and speaking around the world on this topic. Most recently, he has proposed that mental disorders can be understood as metabolic disorders affecting the brain, which has received widespread recognition in both national and international media outlets.