Chris Palmer

Hello! I’m Dr. Chris Palmer.

I am a Harvard Medical School Physician | Researcher | Consultant | Educator dedicated to improving the lives of people suffering from mental illness. I am working at the interface of metabolism, metabolic disorders, and what we call mental disorders. Although most people don’t think these are related, there is a tremendous amount of scientific evidence linking these. By better understanding these connections, I am hopeful that we will better understand what causes mental illness. This will undoubtedly lead to more effective treatments.

I have extensive experience and expertise in psychopharmacology, psychotherapy, and complementary and alternative treatments for psychiatric disorders. I know these work for some people, and I am dedicated to education about these evidence-based treatments and advocacy for access to them.

I am also pioneering the use of the ketogenic diet as a treatment for psychiatric disorders. This is an evidence-based treatment for epilepsy, and epilepsy treatments are commonly used in psychiatry. Additionally, the ketogenic diet has profound affects on brain metabolism that may correct some of the metabolic abnormalities often found in people with mental disorders. I am working with researchers from around to world to assess the effectiveness of this treatment in real people and better understand its mechanisms of action.