Lifestyle interventions in psychiatry: review of evidence and practical guide

In medical schools, we are often taught to treat the patient, not just the disease. However, by the time we graduate and specialize, we tend to focus on select aspects of our patients’ conditions and lose sight of the bigger picture, which includes various health indicators and determinants of health.

We study guidelines and use evidence-based medicine to address symptoms by prescribing medications and applying psychotherapeutic approaches. Yet, endocrine disorders, nutrition, lack of exercise, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, sleep disturbances, smoking, and substance use are often overlooked. These factors remain underrecognized in current treatment models.

This course aims to bridge this gap by equipping our colleagues with the necessary tools to provide truly integrated treatments. These will include nutritional and metabolic assessments, exercise and weight loss prescriptions, time management and sleep hygiene, behavioural activation, and substance use treatments when necessary.

The focus will be on affective disorders, primarily depression, but also anxiety and fibromyalgia, as these are the most prevalent conditions where lifestyle modification has demonstrated effectiveness in scientific literature.

Course Director: Andriy Samokhvalov, Canada