Brain Energy

Christopher M. Palmer, 2022

Explore Christopher Palmer’s theory linking mental disorders to metabolism and mitochondria, with careful attention to evidence, individualized care, and medical safety.

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7 parts, about 22 minutes to read.

Why read it

Palmer proposes that mental disorders are metabolic disorders of the brain, with mitochondria linking genes, stress, sleep and diet
Offers a way to see why diagnoses overlap, why mental and physical illness travel together, and why unlike treatments can help
Presented as a testable theory rather than settled fact, with firm warnings against stopping medication or self treating

Who it is for

Patients whose treatment has helped only partly
Clinicians curious about links between metabolism and psychiatry
Family members supporting someone with serious mental illness

What the summary covers

Why Palmer Looks for a New Model2 min
From Diagnoses to a Common Pathway3 min
Metabolism, Mitochondria, and Brain Function5 min
Many Contributors, One Interacting System4 min
Sleep, Food, Substances, Movement, and Social Life4 min
Treatment Through the Metabolic Lens2 min
A Research Agenda, Not a Finished Answer2 min

Recommended by

Mark HymanNew York Times bestselling author of Young Forever
[A] revolutionary road map for people suffering from depression, anxiety, bipolar disease . . . almost any brain disorder.

About the author

Christopher M. PalmerPsychiatrist and researcher, assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School
- Directs the Department of Postgraduate and Continuing Education at McLean Hospital and is an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School
- Spent more than fifteen years on neuroscience research in substance use and sleep disorders, while continuing to practice psychiatry
- Has pioneered the medical ketogenic diet for psychiatric disorders and developed the brain energy theory of mental illness