The Historical Connection Between Diabetes and Mental Illness

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Key takeaways

Transcript

Episode notes

Diabetes and serious mental illness run in the same families.
Insulin was discovered around the turn of the century and was used in mental patients because of the connection between insulin, diabetes, and mental illness.
Metabolic abnormalities in the bodies and brains of people with serious mental illness were discovered, including increased levels of lactate.
People with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder have abnormally high levels of lactate in their bodies and brains even at rest.

Christopher 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.