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Introduction to Nutritional Psychiatry: Nutri-Psyche

Grow your understanding of the links between diet and mental health and explore strategies to use nutrition in treatment plans.

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564 enrolled on this course

Healthy eating: group of fresh multicolored foods to help lower cholesterol levels and for heart care shot on wooden table. The composition includes oily fish like salmon. Beans like Pinto beans and brown lentils. Vegetables like garlic, avocado, broccoli

Develop practical knowledge to use nutritional care for mental health management

Rapidly increasing evidence suggests dietary modifications have great potential for managing psychiatric conditions.

On this three-week course from Deakin University, you’ll develop an introductory knowledge in Nutritional Psychiatry, addressing the known links between diet and physical and mental health. You’ll also focus on building practical skills through activities to help you apply your newly acquired knowledge in clinical practice.

Explore the biological mechanisms linking diet and mental health

There are a number of closely linked physiological pathways potentially explaining why and how diet can affect mental and cognitive health.

You’ll explore these different mechanisms, from inflammation and the immune system to the gut microbiome and neurogenesis. With each system, you’ll examine both how they function and the studies linking diet to mental health.

When looking to treat psychiatric conditions, gut microbiota and nutrition options hold great promise for novel treatment targets.

This course will take you through a number of diet- and gut-related treatment options, such as probiotics, fermented foods, faecal microbiota transplantation, and restrictive diets. You’ll explore how they interact with the body and their therapeutic uses for a number of physical and mental conditions.

Learn how to implement nutritional psychiatry in clinical practice

When implementing dietary interventions, the strategies need to be tailored to the relevant communities and age groups that you’re treating.

You’ll look at practical ways of communicating diet-related messages, how to address barriers in treatment, and the importance of positivity and self-care.

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Skip to 0 minutes and 10 seconds What this course is designed to do is address that gap between what we know and what we know works and how to implement it in clinical practise in a way that has great benefits for patients. In week one of the course, we will set the scene and explore the latest evidence showing the impact of diet. We will review the current recommendations for the use of dietary interventions in mental health. In week two, we explore biological mechanisms and systems that explain how diet is impacting psychiatric symptoms, pathways such as inflammation and gut-brain axis. We will unpack diet and microbiota-related treatment options.

Skip to 0 minutes and 59 seconds In week three, we will review barriers and motivators of dietary change, discuss how to communicate diet-related messages in your practise, how to keep a positive outlook and reflect and evaluate. I think we are going to see yet more change, such that lifestyle medicine is going to become a core integrated element into the clinical care of patients. You will learn from other researchers and practitioners who will bring their knowledge of nutritional psychiatry and discuss how it can be translated into clinical practise. Throughout the course, we will be referring to papers and scientific sources that provide additional evidence in this very fast-growing area of research. We will also share links and downloadable resources that will support your practise.

Syllabus

  • Week 1

    Introduction and first concepts

    • Let's get started

      Meet your teaching team, other practitioners and discover key information about this course, including useful tips to help you get the most out of your learning.

    • Setting the scene: the role of diet in mental disorders

      Review current evidence and recommendations for the use of diet and related lifestyle practices in treatment of mental disorders.

    • Weekly wrap

      Reflect on the key ideas covered in Week 1, consolidate your knowledge, and find out what’s coming up in Week 2.

  • Week 2

    Mechanisms and treatment options

    • Biological mechanisms

      Examine biological dysregulations associated with symptomatology.

    • Diet and gut-related treatment options

      Review the latest research and expert opinions on the use of gut and diet-related treatment.

    • Weekly Wrap

      Reflect on the key ideas covered in Week 2, consolidate your knowledge, and find out what’s coming up in Week 3.

  • Week 3

    Applying evidence-based knowledge in treatment

    • Needs assessment

      Identify individual needs and the best approach to treatment.

    • Putting it all together

      Translate research to psychiatric care and identify opportunities for change in your practice.

    • Course wrap up and summative assessment

      Reflect on what you’ve learnt throughout the course to consolidate your knowledge and areas you may need to review and undertake your summative assessment.

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Identify and discuss the current evidence and guidelines on diet and nutrition in the management of mental health disorders. 
  • Understand common comorbidities and explore the physiological mechanisms by which diet influences mental and brain health. 
  • Gain practical skills in the implementation of dietary intervention for the management of mental health conditions in your professional practice. 
  • Reflect and review your current practices and identify opportunities for quality improvement.

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for health practitioners working in mental health who wish to gain knowledge in nutritional psychiatry. It will also be useful to students in their final year with a special interest in diet and mental health.

The course addresses specific areas of diet and mental health care in various aspects of practice. A postgraduate-level knowledge in a health-related degree is desirable.

Who will you learn with?

Dr Tetyana Rocks is Senior Research Fellow and Head of Education & Training at the Food & Mood Centre, Deakin University. Tetyana is Accredited Practicing Dietitian passionate about public health.

Professor Felice Jacka is Director of the Food & Mood Centre at Deakin University, and President of the International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research

Who developed the course?

Deakin University

Deakin University is one of Australia’s largest universities with more than 61,000 students and over 15,000 online.

  • Established

    1974
  • Location

    Melbourne, Australia
  • World ranking

    Top 280Source: QS World University Rankings 2021

Food & Mood Centre

The Food & Mood Centre at Deakin University is a world-leading, multi-disciplinary research centre that aims to understand the complex ways in which what we eat influences our brain, mood, and mental health.

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) is responsible for training, educating, and representing psychiatrists in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.

What's included?

This is a premium course. These courses are designed for professionals from specific industries looking to learn with a smaller group of like-minded individuals.

  • Learn best practices from experts
  • Learn from the experience of other health professionals
  • Fit learning around your schedule with unlimited access
  • Get evidence of learning outcomes and CPD hours
  • Certificate of Achievement to prove your success when you're eligible
  • Download and print your Certificate of Achievement anytime

Still want to know more? Check out our FAQs

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Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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