One of the many reasons I stepped away from psychtherapy as a career path is that I did not believe that the diagnositic criteria laid out in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V, used for diagnosing mental illness in the US) makes sense. Many of my neurofeedback colleagues–as well as psychotherapists around the country–agree with this. Now, others are bringing this concern to public attention.

Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Christopher Palmer has recently published a book entitled Brain Energy: A Revolutionary Breakthrough in Understanding Mental Health—and Improving Treatment for Anxiety, Depression, OCD, PTSD, and More. The main idea behind this book is that disruption of metabolic energy systems in the brain at the cellular level are behind mental illness. He explores this biochemical theory of mitochondrial dysfunction as it relates to epigenetics, hormones, inflammation, sleep cycles, eating and drinking, and life challenges.

This book challenges mainstream assumptions and yet, hopefully, will be pointing us toward more helpful and long-term approaches to how we think about and resolve mental health disorders.

If you don’t have time to read the book, this discussion with Dr. Palmer on the podcast Everyday Wellness is also interesting and informative: https://cynthiathurlow.com/ep-239-brain-energy-a-new-way-to-look-at-mental-and-metabolic-health-with-dr-chris-palmer/