Podcast #852: The Brain Energy Theory of Mental Illness

Mental illnesses of all kinds are on the rise, and yet we seem no closer to being able to treat them effectively. We’re only able to treat the symptoms of mental illness, but aren’t often able to put the illness into remission because its root cause has been a mystery.

My guest, however, believes he knows exactly what the root cause of mental illness is, and thus how to finally resolve it for good. His name is Dr. Christopher Palmer, and he’s a Harvard psychiatrist and the author of Brain Energy: A Revolutionary Breakthrough in Understanding Mental Health. Today on the show, Chris unpacks his theory of mental illness, which basically comes down to this: if your brain cells aren’t getting enough energy, they’re not going to function properly. He explains how numerous and seemingly diverse mental illnesses, from anxiety and depression to ADHD and alcoholism, actually all have a common pathway: metabolic disorders. While we typically think of metabolism as related to the physical body, it also greatly affects the mind, and Chris explains how you can have the kind of metabolic problems that cause mental illness even if you’re not overweight. Chris then shares how certain lifestyle changes, like switching to a ketogenic diet, may be able to completely cure mental illness.