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Youth Mental Health

Metabolic Psychiatry offers a new treatment approach for Youth Mental Health.

Youth mental health refers to the emotional, psychological, and cognitive well-being of children, adolescents, and young adults. This period of life is marked by rapid brain development and identity formation, factors that make mental health not just important but foundational. The mental health challenges faced during these formative years can profoundly influence quality of life, present and future success, relationships, and long-term well-being.

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A Ketogenic Diet Improved Depression in College Students

New Research: A Ketogenic Diet Improved Depression in College Students

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Is Ketogenic Therapy Safe for Children?

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Is a Ketogenic Diet Effective For Adolescent Mental Health?

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Can Ketogenic Therapy Transform ADHD and Autism in Kids?

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Can Keto Help Pediatric Bipolar? Groundbreaking Trial Begins

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What Happens When Kids Try Keto for Bipolar? Featuring Elizabeth Errico

Children's Mental health Resource Center

Guidance and resources for early identification and management of mood disorders, bipolar disorder, and Fear of Harm.

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We seek to bring together credible scientific research, clinical wisdom, real-life stories, and practical tools to help you on your metabolic mental wellness journey.

Clinician Directories

The field of metabolic psychiatry is growing rapidly, but we know it can still be hard to find professionals trained in this approach.

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Food as Medicine: A Family’s Breakthrough with Ketogenic Therapy

Chronic illness doesn’t just affect individuals; it reshapes entire families. In the United States alone, more than half of adults live with at least one chronic condition [*].

The transition to young adulthood—whether entering college, joining the workforce, or navigating new independence brings exciting opportunities and real challenges. Between academic pressure, changing routines, and navigating life away from home, it’s common for mental health to take a hit. For many young people, symptoms of mild depression, anxiety, ADHD, OCD and even serious mental illnesses like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and major depressive disorder emerge or intensify during this phase. Our founder’s story demonstrates how the onset of serious mental illness during college can interrupt a bright future and disrupt families. Their story also demonstrates hope for families for whom traditional treatments don’t work.

While medications and therapy work for some people, far too many youth experience “treatment resistance.” That’s why clinicians and researchers are exploring ketogenic therapy for young adults. In this video, we share findings from a new study published out of Ohio State University, funded by Baszucki Group, which looked at whether ketogenic therapy was possible in college students and how it affected their symptoms of depression.

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The study above highlights that keto was not only effective but also achievable for college students. Here, Drew Decker, one of the lead researchers on the study, highlights how practical it is to achieve these results:

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2 Weeks, Depression Gone: A College Research Trial

When traditional treatments failed to improve her symptoms, Sarah found herself stuck, fighting depression, feeling inadequate, and barely functioning.

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Beating Depression in College with a Ketogenic Diet

“I Was Trying to Find a Reason to Live” — How a Ketogenic Diet Helped Me Break Free from Depression

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New Research: A Ketogenic Diet Improved Depression in College Students

College can be a time of rapid growth, but also intense pressure. For many young people, college is the first time they are setting out on their own.

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College Mental Health Crisis: How Students Can Combat Depression & Anxiety

In this conversation, lead study investigator Drew Decker sits down with Drs. Georgia Ede and Bret Scher to discuss how his group was able to help 100% of completing participants experience clinically significant improvements in depression and the real-world feasibility of implementing ketogenic therapy in student populations.

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Dorm Room Keto for Mental Health

This article provides ideas for following a ketogenic diet with limited cooking appliances in a dorm room. These methods may also be doable in a small apartment, room rental, or even inpatient setting.

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Eating Low Carb in College

Diet Doctor has created this practical guide to help you avoid both weight gain and sugar crashes. How? By eating low carb on campus.

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Clinician Directories

The field of metabolic psychiatry is growing rapidly, but we know it can still be hard to find professionals trained in this approach.

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Is a Ketogenic Diet Effective For Adolescent Mental Health?

Press Release

New Study of College Students with Depression Adds to Growing Evidence for Ketogenic Therapy as a Mental Health Treatment

The promise of ketogenic therapy for treating mental illness is accelerating with the newly published findings of a pilot study at The Ohio State University, which showed remarkable…

Press release

Keto Diet Linked to Reduced Depression Symptoms in College Students

A new study shows an association between at least 10 weeks of following a well-formulated ketogenic diet and a roughly 70% decrease in depression symptoms among a small group of college students…

Press Release

Baszucki Group Announces Two Research Initiatives for Youth with Bipolar

Specialized teams exploring ketogenic metabolic therapy in pediatric bipolar patients aim to inform future trials and improve care options

Media mention

Metabolic Psychiatry: A New Era in Bipolar Disorder Treatment?

Years of research link brain health to metabolism. Researchers are now exploring treatments like ketogenic metabolic therapy, which shows early promise for bipolar disorder.

Media mention

TODAY SHOW: Matt Baszucki, 27, with severe bipolar disorder shared how a keto diet helped him: 'It's all worth it'

Three years after starting a keto diet with the help of Dr. Chris Palmer, Matt Baszucki needs fewer medications to manage his bipolar disorder.

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Daily Mail: Can the Keto diet help treat mental illness?

Matt Baszucki found the low-carb/high fat diet finally made the difference to his bipolar disorder – after being prescribed 29 drugs over five years.

Interested in trying metabolic therapies?

Check out THINK+SMART
THINK+SMART is a community-inspired framework that helps individuals employ metabolic therapies to improve mental health.

Our aim with THINK+SMART is to be descriptive, not prescriptive. There is no one right way to employ metabolic strategies to improve mental and physical health, and personalization is key, especially for children and young adults. To help you develop your own program, THINK+SMART consolidates strategies and tactics reported by our community of clinicians and peers as safe and effective.

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Youth Mental Health

Can Diet Combat Depression in College Students?

New Research

New Research: A Ketogenic Diet Improved Depression in College Students

Support for Ketogenic Therapy in Youth Mental Health