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Why Mental Illness Is a Metabolic Problem—and What That Means for Your Health | Dr. Chris Palmer

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Jan 7, 2026

Guest

Christopher Palmer, MD

Dr. Christopher Palmer is a Harvard psychiatrist and pioneer in metabolic psychiatry. He argues that mental illness is intricately linked to whole-body biology, rising alongside chronic diseases like obesity and diabetes. The discussion reveals how inflammation and metabolic dysfunction can influence mental health, reshaping our understanding of conditions like depression and bipolar disorder. Palmer advocates for nutrition, lifestyle changes, and metabolic assessments as effective treatments, challenging traditional psychiatric approaches and emphasizing a holistic view of mental well-being.

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INSIGHT

Mental Illness As A Systemic Disorder

Mental disorders are often systemic body problems that manifest in the brain.
Treating whole-body biology can therefore improve psychiatric symptoms.

insights

INSIGHT

Mental Illness Rises With Metabolic Disease

Mental disorders are rising alongside obesity and diabetes, suggesting linked systemic causes.
Christopher Palmer argues this co-rise implies body-wide biology, not fixed genetics, drives many psychiatric conditions.

insights

INSIGHT

Inflammation Drives Brain Energy Problems

Inflammation is a common domino that can trigger mitochondrial dysfunction and psychiatric symptoms.
High inflammation produces behavioral changes like low energy and social withdrawal that mimic depression.

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Reframing Psychiatry as Systemic

03:44 • 3min

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Scope and Rising Rates of Mental Illness

06:36 • 52sec

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Why the Genetic Narrative Harms Hope

07:28 • 1min

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Mental Illness as Body Problems Affecting the Brain

08:38 • 7min

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Root Drivers: Inflammation and Metabolic Dysfunction

15:22 • 28sec

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Biopsychosocial Causes and ACEs

Inflammation’s Behavioral Effects

21:20 • 4min

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Final Common Pathway: Energy Dysregulation

25:15 • 3min

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What Metabolism Means Biologically

27:53 • 4min

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Practical Caution: Medications and Metabolic Harm

31:50 • 5min

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A Metabolic Medicine Revolution

36:24 • 51sec

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Testing and Empirical Metabolic Treatments

37:15 • 40sec

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Ketogenic Therapy Evidence and Trials

Biomarkers: Folate and B12 Autoantibodies

46:45 • 4min

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Blood-Brain Barrier Inflammation and Treatable Subsets

50:48 • 3min

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How Ketogenic Therapy May Help Autoimmune Brain Issues

54:16 • 2min

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Integration: Network Medicine and Collaboration

• Mentioned in 56 episodes

Brain Energy

A Revolutionary Breakthrough in Understanding Mental Health--and Improving Treatment for Anxiety, Depression, OCD, PTSD, and More

Christopher Palmer, MD

Drawing on decades of research, Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Chris Palmer outlines a revolutionary new understanding that unites existing knowledge about mental illness within a single framework: Mental disorders are metabolic disorders of the brain. The book details the connections between mental illness and metabolic disorders, including diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, and other conditions. It also sheds light on new treatment pathways that apply to various mental disorders such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, alcoholism, eating disorders, bipolar disorder, autism, and schizophrenia. Palmer pairs cutting-edge science with practical advice and strategies to help people reclaim their mental health, emphasizing the role of metabolism in mental health and the potential of dietary and metabolic interventions for treatment.

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The UltraMind solution

Mark Hyman

In 'The UltraMind Solution,' Dr. Mark Hyman explains that many mental and psychological disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and memory loss, are rooted in physical and biochemical imbalances in the body. He proposes a six-week plan to correct these imbalances through optimizing nutrition, balancing hormones, reducing inflammation, and other lifestyle changes. The book emphasizes the importance of functional medicine, focusing on the body's natural healing processes rather than just managing symptoms with drugs or psychotherapy. By following the outlined steps, readers can achieve an 'UltraMind' that is highly focused, able to pay attention at will, has a strong memory, and leaves them feeling calm, confident, in control, and in good spirits.

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Madness and Civilization

Michel Foucault

In 'Madness and Civilization,' Michel Foucault analyzes the historical development of the concept of madness in Europe from the late Middle Ages to the end of the 18th century. The book critiques the idea of history and the historical method, particularly focusing on how social structures, laws, politics, philosophy, and medicine have influenced the perception and treatment of insanity. Foucault explores the transition from a time when the mad were integrated into everyday life to the era when they were confined in asylums, highlighting the 'Great Confinement' and the emergence of the asylum as a new institution. The work also delves into the philosophical and cultural shifts that led to the modern understanding of madness and its separation from reason.

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The Structure of Scientific Revolutions

Thomas Kuhn

In 'The Structure of Scientific Revolutions', Thomas S. Kuhn argues that scientific progress does not occur through a gradual accumulation of facts, but rather through periodic revolutions that disrupt existing paradigms. Kuhn introduces the concept of 'normal science' and 'revolutionary science', where normal science involves puzzle-solving within an established paradigm, and revolutionary science involves a paradigm shift that fundamentally changes the way scientists view the world. He explains that these revolutions are driven by the accumulation of anomalies that cannot be explained by the current paradigm, leading to a crisis and eventually a new paradigm that offers a different perspective and new ways of conducting research.

On this episode of The Dr. Hyman Show, I’m rejoined by psychiatrist and Harvard professor Dr. Chris Palmer for a conversation that challenges how we’ve been taught to think about mental illness. For decades, psychiatry has focused on managing symptoms—often without asking what’s actually driving them. We discuss a different way of understanding mental health, one that looks beyond diagnostic labels and considers how whole-body biology influences brain function, resilience, and recovery. Watch the full conversation on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts. In this conversation, we explore: • Why mental illness is rising alongside obesity, diabetes, and other chronic diseases • How whole-body biology influences mood, focus, and emotional resilience • The link between inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, and conditions like depression and bipolar disorder • How nutrition, testing, and lifestyle changes can support real recovery If mental health has ever felt close to home for you or someone you care about, this conversation is meant to offer clarity, compassion, and a place to start. This episode was recorded live at the Eudēmonia Summit, a conference exploring the future of health, longevity, and well-being. Learn more at eudemonia.net.

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(0:00) Introduction to mental health crisis and guest Dr. Christopher Palmer

(1:31) Eudaimonia Summit and psychiatric revolution

(3:06) Traditional and systemic views on psychiatric disorders

(7:23) Misconceptions and stigma surrounding mental disorders

(10:15) The impact of childhood experiences on mental health

(13:28) Root causes of mental illness: Inflammation and brain dysfunction

(21:23) Metabolic dysfunction in mental illness

(24:15) Significance of metabolism in mental health

(27:47) Metabolic nutritional psychiatry and premature mortality

(32:34) The mental health revolution and metabolic treatments

(34:16) Ketogenic diet as a potential treatment for mental disorders

(37:18) Functional and network medicine in mental health

(41:13) Biomarkers and potential treatments in metabolic mental health

(49:07) Ketogenic therapy and its anti-inflammatory effects

(50:12) Historical and emerging paradigms in psychiatry

(54:38) Integrating functional medicine into mainstream psychiatry

(56:20) Addressing chronic disease in national health discussions

(58:22) Closing remarks and further resources

(59:02) Podcast outro and call to action

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