UC Connect: Feeding the brain: exploring nutrition’s role in mental health

Presenter: Professor Julia Rucklidge Location: Central Lecture Theatres, Ilam Campus In recent decades, scientists discovered an uncomfortable truth: What we eat affects our mental health. University of Canterbury Psychology Professor Julia Rucklidge will explore the topic in her upcoming UC Connect public lecture: Feeding the brain: exploring nutrition’s role in mental health. First she will briefly describe what is known about dietary patterns and mental health. Then she will discuss the recent paradigm shift of using broad-based micronutrients to treat psychiatric disorders, reviewing the hypothesized mechanisms of action and the evidence to date. Professor Rucklidge’s public lecture, Feeding the brain, intends to challenge our current treatment regime for mental disorders and suggest one alternative course of action. Julia Rucklidge is a professor of Clinical Psychology in UC’s Psychology department and the Director of the Mental Health and Nutrition Research Group. Her interests in nutrition and mental illness grew out of research showing poor outcomes for individuals with significant psychiatric illness despite receiving conventional treatments for their conditions. In the last decade, Professor Rucklidge and her lab have been running clinical trials investigating the role of broad-spectrum micronutrients in the expression of mental illness, specifically ADHD, mood disorders, anxiety and stress. She is passionate about helping people find alternative treatments for their psychiatric symptoms and being a voice for those who have been let down by the current public healthcare system. Professor Rucklidge has over 100 peer-reviewed publications, has given invited talks all over the world on her work on nutrition and mental health, and her work is often featured in the media. An award-winning researcher, she received the Ballin Award from the New Zealand Psychological Society, a Braveheart award for her contribution to making Christchurch a better place to live, and was named among the most influential women in New Zealand Innovation & Science in the Women of Influence 2018 awards. Her 2014 TEDx talk has been viewed close to a million times. UC Connect Public Lectures: https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/ucconnect