Depression that doesn’t improve, or gets labeled as treatment resistant, can leave people feeling without options and hopeless. But what if there was another way forward?

In this interview, Dr. Bret Scher speaks with Silvia J. Covelli, founder and CEO of the Healing Depression Project, and Dr. Achina Stein, a board-certified psychiatrist and functional medicine physician. Together, they share how personal journeys and clinical insights converged to create a groundbreaking program that addresses depression at its root.

You’ll hear Silvia’s story of living with depression for 25+ years before finding lasting relief through holistic lifestyle changes. And Dr. Stein explains how her own family’s health crisis led her to functional psychiatry.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:

• How functional psychiatry focuses on metabolic, nutritional, and lifestyle drivers of mental health.
• What happens inside the Healing Depression Project retreats (labs, ketogenic therapy, , and community support).
• Why addressing lifestyle factors like sleep, diet, and movement can lead to depression remission, not just symptom management.
• How the Healing Depression Project is setting a new framework for what treating treatment resistant depression can look like.

By combining functional psychiatry, metabolic therapies, and a compassionate community, this program is showing what metabolic psychiatry is all about: mental illness doesn’t always have to be a lifelong sentence.

👉 Healing Depression Project is now accepting applications for their next retreat. Visit https://www.healingdepressionproject.com/ to learn more!

Expert Featured:

Silvia J. Covelli

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/silvia-j-covelli-6709b0275/

Dr. Achina Stein

• Website: https://fxnmind.com/dr-achina-stein/
• https://www.instagram.com/dr.achinastein/?hl=en

Resources Mentioned:

Healing Depression Project

• https://www.healingdepressionproject.com/

Book: What If It’s Not Depression? Your Guide To Finding Answers and Solutions

• https://www.amazon.com/What-Its-NOT-Depression-Solutions/dp/B0BD4S9TDF

Free CME Clinician Trainings:

Are you a clinician who would like to learn more about the science behind these therapies and how to implement them in practice? Earn CME with our growing library of courses from some of the top experts in the field including Dr. Chris Palmer, Dr. Georgia Ede, Dr. Matthew Bernstein and Dr. Bret Scher with more coming soon.

Our courses have been made FREE by grants from Baszucki Group, so we can spread these powerful therapies as widely as possible. Earn CME/CNE credits:

https://www.metabolicmind.org/for-clinicians/trainings-courses/?utm_medium=organic-social&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=cme-yt

Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.

Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/

About us:

Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them.

Our channel is for informational purposes only. We are not providing individual or group medical or healthcare advice nor establishing a provider-patient relationship. Many of the interventions we discuss can have dramatic or potentially dangerous effects if done without proper supervision. Consult your healthcare provider before changing your lifestyle or medications.