Ketogenic therapy for mental illness is gaining attention, with more and more patients looking to incorporate this strategy into their care plan.
The problem is that sometimes patients struggle to find providers to help them and providers often lack the expertise and confidence to prescribe this strategy.
These issues led to a light bulb moment for Dr. Kelly, “We’ve got to capacity build, we have to figure this out.”
In this interview, Dr. Bret Scher speaks with Deanna Kelly, PharmD, internationally recognized for her work in schizophrenia, psychiatric pharmacology, and metabolic health, who is now pioneering an innovative project of her own called *Live it, Launch it*.
This first-of-its-kind study is Dr. Kelly’s brainchild, designed to train clinicians through direct experience in an effort to increase clinical expertise in metabolic and ketogenic therapies. Participants don’t just learn the science, they actually *live* a ketogenic diet themselves, gaining confidence, competence, and practical insight to better guide patients struggling with psychiatric disorders.
In this interview, you’ll discover:
- Why so many families are searching for trained ketogenic therapy clinicians
- Why personal experience may be the missing link in clinical adoption
- The potential widespread clinical impact of *Live it, Launch it*.
- The potential of ketogenic therapy alongside medications like GLP-1s
- An update on Dr. Kelly’s in-patient ketogenic therapy for schizophrenia study
By training clinicians to *live it* before they *launch it*, this study could change how psychiatric care is delivered, and help meet the growing demand for clinical guidance in ketogenic therapy.
*Expert Featured:*
Dr. Deanna Kelly
- Director of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center
- X: https://x.com/profdeannak
*Resources Mentioned:*
*Why Did the Maryland Health Department Halt a Critical Schizophrenia Study?*
- https://youtu.be/tzPlQ6dJwe8
*Stanford Study Shows Promise of Keto*
- https://www.metabolicmind.org/trials/featured/stanford-study-shows-promise-of-keto/
summerizer
“The Future of Mental Health Care: Training Doctors in Ketogenic Therapy” — Summary
Participants
- Host introduces Metabolic Mind interview with Deanna Kelly, PharmD, BCPP (University of Maryland).
- Discussion credits and mentions: Denise Potter, RDN, CDCES; Dr. Chris Palmer; Shebani (Shebani) Sethi, MD; Albert Danan, MD; Charlie Foundation; Keto-Mojo.
Core Topic
- “Live It, Launch It”: a capacity-building project to train clinicians to use ketogenic therapy for mental illness by having them live the diet briefly themselves, then launch it in practice.
Why This Is Needed
- Growing patient demand; the guest previously had a waitlist of ~16–17 families seeking clinicians who could implement ketogenic therapy.
- Clinicians report interest but low confidence/competence implementing ketogenic therapy safely alongside standard care.
Program Overview (“Live It, Launch It”)
- Pilot site: Maryland.
- Cohort size: ~40 clinicians (set at 40; ~40 consented).
- Format:
- Asynchronous online education (~4 hours), including a keto mastery class for psychiatry (developed with the Charlie Foundation and experts).
- Four-week dietary intervention in which participating clinicians personally follow a ketogenic diet.
- Weekly group meetings with dietitians for Q&A, troubleshooting, and peer support.
- Before/after assessments evaluating knowledge gains and self-rated competence to apply therapy with patients.
- Data collection tools used weekly to capture what may work for specific patient scenarios.
- Logistics/support:
- Participants across many U.S. states.
- Lab slips provided; Keto-Mojo meters mailed to participants with a starter packet.
- Goal: graduate clinicians who both understand and feel competent to add ketogenic therapy as an adjunct to standard care for psychiatric conditions, with attention to medication and metabolic safety.
Clinical Context Discussed
- Serious mental illness (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression) often coexists with metabolic dysfunction (weight gain, insulin resistance), partly due to psychotropic medications.
- GLP-1 agonists (e.g., semaglutide) were discussed in the context of a recent randomized controlled trial in patients on antipsychotics; benefits for metabolic parameters noted, but negative symptoms of schizophrenia and broader functional outcomes may remain unmet by GLP-1s alone.
- Ketogenic therapy is positioned as adjunctive, potentially addressing psychiatric symptoms and metabolic health together; does not require FDA approval to implement clinically under appropriate supervision.
Evidence Mentioned (from the conversation)
- Publications by Shebani Sethi and Albert Danan were cited as evidence that ketogenic therapy can improve psychiatric symptoms (including in schizophrenia) and metabolic markers.
- Quantitative examples referenced in the conversation:
- In metabolic disease literature, reports of ~69% decreases in HOMA-IR and >80% blood sugar normalization with ketogenic approaches were cited in passing.
- An earlier inpatient schizophrenia ketogenic program in Maryland was referenced as having been shut down by the Maryland Department of Health; the guest provides an update on related activities.
Who It’s For
- Clinicians (psychiatrists, prescribers, therapists, dietitians, etc.) wanting structured training to safely integrate ketogenic therapy with standard psychiatric care.
- Patients/families indirectly benefit as trained clinicians expand capacity in this area.
First two pilots were underpowered and not controlled, the third trial just showed semaglutide lowers weight in schizophrenic patients like everyone else.
Psychiatry research is a joke.
Yes, but did not provide psychiatric benefits like other metabolic interventions