Chris Palmer, MD is the Director of the Department of Postgraduate and Continuing Education at McLean Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. For over 27 years he’s held administrative, educational, research, and clinical roles in psychiatry. His new book, Brain Energy: A Revolutionary Breakthrough in Understanding Mental Health—and Improving Treatment for Anxiety, Depression, OCD, PTSD, and More, is out now.
What you'll learn from this episode:
The importance of understanding the shortcomings of the DSM-5 when it comes to defining a mental illness, and how it does not differentiate between a normal response to stress and trauma vs. brain dysfunction.
Why the evidence points to different mental illnesses as metabolic dysfunction, and how this relates to the more accepted physical manifestations of metabolic syndrome, why obesity is only part of the equation (metabolic health can be compromised when obesity isn’t present), why depression is a risk factor for dementia, and the relationship between all mental illnesses and cognitive decline.
How toxins in the environment compromise our mitochondrial health, and how we can improve our metabolic health by limiting exposure to ultra-processed food, endocrine-disrupting plastics, and toxins in alcohol and tobacco.
The interconnected nature of our mental and physical health—why improving one often results in the improvement of the other—and how to evaluate your health holistically, improve insulin sensitivity, manage glucose, lose weight, and improve depression and anxiety by following the same no-nonsense advice given on the show regularly.
How the ketogenic diet can be therapeutic for metabolic disorders and improve brain health by working on a mitochondrial level in three ways: stimulating autophagy, mitophagy, and mitochondrial biogenesis.
And much more!
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Resources from this episode:
Association Between Obesity and Psychiatric Disorders in the US Adult Population | PMC
Psychiatric Disorders and Obesity: A Review of Association Studies | PMC
Metabolic Syndrome in Psychiatric Patients: Overview, Mechanisms, and Implications | PMC
Diagnostic Issues and Controversies in DSM-5: Return of the False Positives Problem | PubMed
New Study: Serious Mental Illness Improves on Ketogenic Diet | Psychology Today
Schizoaffective Disorder–Symptoms and Causes | Mayo Clinic
Ketogenic Diet for Schizophrenia: Clinical Implication | PubMed
Menopause and Schizophrenia: A Connection? | HealthyWomen
Un Health Agency Reports Depression Now ‘Leading Cause of Disability Worldwide’ | UN News
Vegetarians More Likely to Be Depressed Than Meat-Eaters | Neuroscience News
Nutritional Ketosis in Parkinson’s Disease–A Review of Remaining Questions and Insights | PMC
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