Welcome to the Palmer Institute!
The Future of Mental and Metabolic Health Care
At the Palmer Institute, we are redefining health care by integrating mental, metabolic, and physical health into a single, cohesive model.
Traditional medicine treats these as separate domains, often leading to fragmented care and chronic health conditions. Even models that incorporate behavioral health into primary care often default to diagnosing and prescribing—a pill for every ill.
We take a different approach—one that recognizes the deep interconnection between mental and physical health.
A New Approach to Mental Illness
Mental health is not just about brain chemistry or psychology—it’s also about metabolism, nutrition, movement, sleep, and whole-body health. Whether it’s anxiety, depression, ADHD, OCD, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, schizophrenia, or neurodegenerative diseases, these conditions often involve metabolic dysfunction as either a cause or consequence. Even when trauma or stress are the clear triggers, science shows that they impact metabolism in the brain and body, contributing to the development or worsening of both mental and physical health conditions. In fact, people with mental health conditions are often aging prematurely and suffering from many co-morbid health conditions. That’s why we use a whole-person health model that integrates biological, psychological, and social factors to target root causes rather than just symptoms.
By combining evidence-based mental health treatments delivered by expert clinicians—including psychotherapy, targeted medications when appropriate, and lifestyle interventions—with cutting-edge metabolic therapies, functional medicine, longevity science, and technology-driven, team-based care, we provide a precision health model designed not just to manage symptoms, but to restore lasting health and resilience.
The Palmer Institute is where innovative science meets compassionate care—shaping the future of mental and metabolic health care!
Meet Our Founder
Christopher M. Palmer, MD
Dr. Chris Palmer is a Harvard psychiatrist, researcher, and leading voice in the field of metabolism and mental health. He is the Founder and Director of the Metabolic and Mental Health Program at McLean Hospital, the Director of the Department of Postgraduate and Continuing Education at McLean, and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
For 30 years, Dr. Palmer has held administrative, educational, research, and clinical roles at McLean and Harvard, with a focus on treating patients with severe mental illness who have not responded to standard treatments. His groundbreaking work, first published in Brain Energy, introduces a revolutionary new model that redefines mental disorders as metabolic conditions affecting the brain, a perspective that has gained widespread recognition among clinicians, scientists, and global media.
Read more about Dr. Palmer’s work and research here. Click Here
Why the Palmer Institute?
The Palmer Institute is the realization of this new model of care. Traditional mental health treatment often isolates the mind from the body, focusing solely on symptom management while neglecting deeper biological drivers of illness. We believe true healing requires an integrated approach—one that treats the brain and body together to restore long-term health and resilience.
Dr. Palmer founded the Palmer Institute to bring science-backed, personalized, and team-based care to people struggling with mental illness, whether they have mild symptoms or complex, treatment-resistant conditions. By combining psychiatry, psychotherapy, metabolic interventions, nutrition, fitness, and innovative diagnostics, the Palmer Institute provides a revolutionary alternative to the standard mental health system—one that is rooted in cutting-edge research and designed for real, lasting recovery.