The Village Dispatch: CMHRC's October Newsletter
Topic: Our Success in Paris!

Wednesday Webinar: Ketogenic Therapy, The Lifestyle that Can Save Lives: An At-Home Intervention for Mental Illness for Families 

Book Club: The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk, MD

Giving: Give Thanks Now

September was a busy month at CMHRC, with Executive Director Elizabeth Errico and Patient and Family Education Director Jana Cupp heading to Paris for the 9th Global Symposium on Ketogenic Therapies. 

Once there, they presented the results of CMHRC's pioneering study on the effects of ketogenic therapy on symptoms of bipolar in children and teens. 

CMHRC's pilot study was selected by conference organizers for both a poster presentation as well as for a flash talk. Our team was grateful for this honor, awarded to fewer than 15% of submissions.

As in everything we do at CMHRC, the study design aligned with our mission by not only looking at the impact of ketogenic therapy on symptoms, but also focusing on what supports families need to be successful.

Left to right: Elizabeth Errico, Jana Cupp

Left to right: Dr. Georgia Ede (Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind author and CMHRC advisor), Jana Cupp, Elizabeth Errico, Denise Potter (dietician and CMHRC advisor)

This image shows the timeline of ketogenic therapy research for serious mental illness. CMHRC is listed in the far right list from 2024 with other prestigious researchers, including David Miklowitz at UCLA, Mary Phillips at the University of Pittsburgh, and Kirk Chang at Oxford. 

We asked Elizabeth to explain what made CMHRC's study unique, "Ketogenic therapy has been used safely in children for more than 100 years in the treatment of epilepsy, and in the last few years there have been many studies examining its usefulness in treatment for adults with mental illnesses like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. But, our pilot study was one of the first in the United States to look at using ketogenic therapy to treat bipolar disorder in children under the age of 12." 

Co-investigator Jana Cupp adds, "The results of our study were, quite honestly, surprising even to us. Every single child who followed the guidelines had a reduction in symptoms. Every single child, and the symptom reductions were huge. We saw depressive and manic symptoms reduce by an average of 76% across all participants. There's no medication out there that gets results like that when tested."

Parents of the children who participated in the study shared with us that the changes they observed in their children were truly remarkable. 

"This therapy was the first step in the right direction to saving my child's life."

"This study has changed the quality of life available for my daughter and our family. We have seen a significant decrease in symptoms, but more we have seen the light come back to her eyes and we have seen her begin to actually play again. I feel like this study has unlocked the cage that has been holding my daughter hostage and allowed her to be free again."

"The peaks and chasms of the bipolar symptoms have become hills and valleys with ketosis. It's like my child's executive functioning has finally come online."

"The study was incredible. This is an extraordinary opportunity that saved my child's life."

"We can't thank you enough for allowing us to be a part of this study. Our bipolar journey has been exhausting and unfortunately we have lost faith in our local doctors who do not want to treat bipolar until the patient is 25 years old! Typing this brings tears to my eyes, I wish I could describe how much it means to us to actually get this quality of help for our child that this study provided. You all gave us hope! Thank you!"

Elizabeth and Jana are hard at work with their team of expert advisors and brand new staff members as they prepare to launch a bigger, better, and longer study in early 2026. Enrollment will be opening soon for that new study, and you can learn more and submit an interest form on our website. 

There is a global youth mental health crisis to which no area of the country is immune. At the same time, quality mental healthcare for individuals and families is becoming progressively more difficult to access. Yet, despite evidence linking metabolic therapy to improved psychiatric outcomes, families seeking ketogenic therapy for childhood mental health conditions face significant barriers. 

Providing proven, scientifically valid, low-risk, high-reward, at-home interventions to promote positive mental health outcomes should be a first line of intervention to ensure that recovery is not dependent on an overburdened and under-responsive system. This perspective invites us to reimagine how food might be used not only to manage illness but to restore dignity and agency to families navigating serious mental health conditions. Join us as we take a deeper look into metabolic therapies, and the power of food in the treatment of mental illness. 

Trauma is a fact of life. Those living with mental illness and their families experience more than their share of trauma. From involuntary symptoms to the pain of lost expectations to the physical toll emotional outbursts take, trauma is a part of every day life for parents and children living with mental health conditions.

In The Body Keeps the Score, Dr. Bessel can der Kolk, one of the world’s foremost experts on trauma, uses recent scientific advances to show how trauma literally reshapes both body and brain, compromising sufferers’ capacities for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust. He explores innovative treatments—from neurofeedback and meditation to sports, drama, and yoga—that offer new paths to recovery by activating the brain’s natural neuroplasticity. Based on Dr. van der Kolk’s own research and that of other leading specialists, The Body Keeps the Score exposes the tremendous power of our relationships both to hurt and to heal—and offers new hope for reclaiming lives.

*CMHRC Book Club sessions have a non-refundable $10 registration fee, which supports both the Book Club staffing as well as our other free programs and services.

It's been an incredible year at CMHRC and as the Thanksgiving season approaches, we're reflecting on everything we have to be grateful for.

Fall kicks off our annual 'Giving Thanks' campaign. An early gift is your ticket to take this incredible journey with us. Stand with us in bringing hope and support to children and families facing mental health challenges. 

Act Today, Change Lives

Don't wait until November. By giving today, you are not just getting ahead of the holiday rush, you're giving children and families the hope and resources they urgently need. Early gifts like yours help us hit the ground running, ensuring that we can provide critical support during the holiday season. Your contribution can have a big impact for those who need it most.

Monthly Giving for an Ongoing Impact

Take your support further by becoming a monthly donor. With a monthly gift, you provide sustained support that allows us to make a lasting difference in the lives of children and families. A recurring contribution means steady support—and that’s how real change happens!

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