This piece was originally published in The New York Times on March 17, 2026.

By Alice Callahan and Christina Caron

Maya Schumer, 32, a neuroscientist in Belmont, Mass., was living with bipolar disorder for more than a decade. She had tried nearly every treatment — therapy, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, anticonvulsants — to help control her symptoms.

But her panic attacks, mania, depression and brain fog still lingered.

By 2024, she said, she was “the most suicidal” she had ever been. So when her psychiatrist suggested she try the ketogenic diet, which focuses on high-fat, low-carbohydrate foods, she decided she had nothing left to lose.

Within five months of eating more foods high in fat like red meat, butter and avocado and fewer grains, fruits and vegetables, her panic attacks decreased and she could focus without using a stimulant, she said. Her depression persisted, however, so her psychiatrist added a low dose of lithium. Finally, with a combination of diet and medication, she said, “things clicked.” She described feeling stable, secure and grounded, and her illness seemed easier to manage. She likened it to being able to see without glasses.

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