Metabolic Approaches to Mental Illness:
The Role of Ketogenic Therapies
in the Treatment of Severe Mental Illness

FREE EVENT

_{Tuesday, April 28th | 7-8:30 PM}
Cambridge Public Library
449 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02138

This event will also be streamed live here and recorded for later viewing.

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"Together, we can transform the mental health field to improve the lives of the millions of people suffering from mental illness."
— Dr. Chris Palmer

Severe mental illnesses such as depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia have traditionally been understood through the lenses of neurotransmitters, psychology, and social stressors. Increasingly, however, research is revealing that metabolism—how the body and brain generate and use energy—plays a fundamental role in brain function and mental health.

This talk will explore the growing science linking metabolic dysfunction to psychiatric illness and introduce ketogenic therapies as a promising, evidence-informed approach for individuals with serious mental illness.

Drawing from clinical research and real-world experience, the presentation will examine how ketogenic interventions may influence brain energy metabolism, inflammation, and neural signaling—and how, for some people, these changes can reduce symptoms and even lead to remission and recovery for people with treatment-resistant SMI.

The goal of this talk is to provide education, context, and hope, while emphasizing that ketogenic therapies should be approached thoughtfully, safely, and in collaboration with qualified healthcare professionals.

Book called Brain Energy by Dr. Chris Palmer

Leading this Event:

Christopher Palmer, M.D.

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

Founder and Director, Metabolic and Mental Health Program, McLean Hospital

Dr. Christopher 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.

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Metabolic Approaches to Mental Illness:﻿﻿The Role of Ketogenic Therapies﻿﻿in the Treatment of Severe Mental Illness

Metabolic Approaches to Mental Illness:
The Role of Ketogenic Therapies
in the Treatment of Severe Mental Illness