Fix the Brain, Change the Mind: Root-Cause Psychiatry with Dr. Robert Hedaya

Mark Hyman

Jan 21, 2026

Episode description

On this episode of The Dr. Hyman Show, I sit down with Dr. Robert Hedaya, a psychiatrist who has spent decades working at the intersection of biology, brain function, and mental health. His approach starts with a different question than most psychiatry asks: what’s interfering with the brain’s ability to regulate, adapt, and repair itself?

We talk about why many mental health diagnoses describe symptoms without explaining causes—and how measuring brain function, energy, and network activity is opening the door to more precise, individualized care.

Watch the full conversation on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

[YOUTUBE THUMBNAIL]

We discuss:

• How biological imbalances can drive anxiety, depression, and cognitive symptoms

• Why many “treatment-resistant” mental health issues have overlooked root causes

• How brain energy and mitochondrial function influence mood and cognition

• What advanced brain mapping reveals about how your brain is actually working

For far too long, mental health care has focused on managing symptoms in isolation. This discussion looks at what becomes possible when we treat the brain as part of the whole system and support its ability to heal.

View Show Notes From This Episode

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Mindsip insights from this episode:

Critically evaluate current psychiatric treatment models

Past psychiatric fads included spinning patients in giant centrifuges, which serves as a reminder to critically evaluate current treatment models.

#critical-thinking

#mental-health

Treat dental infections to stabilize schizophrenia symptoms

A patient with schizophrenia who was hospitalized for decades was stabilized by treating her chronic dental infections with antibiotics.

#antibiotics

#dental-health

Resolve panic attacks with B12 injection for deficiency

A patient's year-long panic attacks were completely resolved with a single B12 injection after discovering a deficiency.

#deficiency

#supplement

Revive facial recognition with laser therapy

A case of acquired prosopagnosia (facial blindness) was cured after one laser treatment "woke up" dormant brain cells responsible for facial recognition.

#laser

#neurology

Utilize targeted lasers to enhance brain healing

A specialized laser, guided by qEEG data, can be aimed at specific brain areas to increase mitochondrial energy (ATP) and repair cellular function.

#laser

#mitochondria

Map your brain with at-home quantitative EEG testing

A quantitative EEG (qEEG) is an AI-driven test that maps your brain's wiring and information flow, and the equipment can be sent to your home for testing.

#AI

#testing

Address stress gene to reduce PTSD and depression risk

Certain genes can cause "glucocorticoid resistance," making your cells unable to properly respond to stress hormones and increasing vulnerability to PTSD and depression.