Mental Health and the B12 'Blind Spot': What all Health Professionals – and their Patients - Need to Know
Could a common essential nutrient deficiency be silently impairing energy levels and brain function, or even causing psychiatric symptoms – in you, or your patients?
A FAB Research Live Webinar and Q&A session
Wednesday 15th October 2025
6.00 - 7.30 pm (BST)
This event will be recorded - so whether or not you can attend live, your booking will allow you to access the full video and handouts afterwards.
This thought-provoking event will explore, and explain:
- why Vitamin B12 deficiency is common, but so often missed, in patients with mental health problems
- what’s at stake when it does go undetected – and crucially
- what can be done to improve the current situation.
Vitamin B12 deficiency is more common - and more misunderstood - than you might think. Many individuals believe (and/or fear) that in themselves or a loved one:
- their ‘brain fog’, attention and memory problems reflect a condition like ADHD, depression or dementia.
- or that their anxiety, mood swings, and/or erratic behaviour are signs of autism, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia.
- or that their worsening fatigue, clumsiness or sensory problems are the result of a neurological disease.
And most don’t know that all of these symptoms can be caused - or exacerbated - by vitamin B12 deficiency.
Unfortunately, many people are currently misdiagnosed with these or other mental health conditions, because their B12 deficiency is missed.
Even worse, if an untreated deficiency is severe, and also goes undiscovered for too long, it can sometimes cause irreversible sensory, motor or cognitive problems (or even death).
Why Attend This Webinar?
In this eye-opening webinar, Dr. Willemina Rietsema will uncover the hidden crisis of B12 deficiency and share insights from both clinical research and real-world practice.
She’ll explore why some psychiatric symptoms might not be what they seem - and what most people, including health professionals, don’t realise about B12.
Whether you're a healthcare professional, educator, parent, or simply curious about the links between nutrition and mental health, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss.
Join us to find out:
- Why and how insufficient B12 levels can contribute to (or ‘mimic’) almost any psychological or psychiatric symptom or disorder
- Why the ‘signs’ of B12 deficiency can often be disguised – and therefore misdiagnosed, or dismissed
- What the latest evidence shows about the prevalence of this neglected nutrient
- Why “Could it be B12?” is such an important question for patients and health professionals alike to ask, and
- What the benefits could be from improving public awareness of risk factors for B12 deficiency, and the ability of our health services to diagnose and manage this
Our expert speaker – a NHS GP and B12 specialist researcher – will explain the vital role of Vitamin B12 in almost every aspect of both brain and body health – and what you really need to know about testing, symptoms, and risks.
About Dr. Willemina Rietsema
Dr Willemina Rietsema is a GP, and a GP appraiser, for the UK’s NHS; and a research specialist with extensive experience and knowledge about Vitamin B12, and the effects of deficiencies in this essential nutrient for mental, as well as physical health.
As a contributor to the NICE guidelines on B12 deficiency for over-16s, Dr. Rietsema brings expert knowledge of the challenges in diagnosing and managing this common condition in clinical practice.
She is a co-founder of CluB-12 - an international collaboration of researchers and educators dedicated to uncovering and publicising all aspects of the links between vitamin B12 and human health.
In addition to her work as a GP appraiser and out-of-hours GP for the NHS, Dr Rietsema has supported the Pernicious Anaemia Society for many years through speaking at events and contributing to published research in this area – and she is also a Scientific Advisor to the UK charities Young People’s Mental health (YPMH), and FAB Research.
Her unique combination of personal experience, clinical expertise, and dedication to both research and evidence-based practice make her a highly respected expert in this important but neglected area.
Please use one of the following options
to book your place:
Early Bird price ends Sunday, 5th October.
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Speaker
Dr. Willemina Rietsema
GP, and a GP appraiser, for the UK’s NHS. Co-founder of CluB-12
Contributor to the NICE guidelines on B12 deficiency for over-16s
Chairing Q&A & discussion
Dr Alex Richardson
DPhil (Oxon), PGCE, FRSA
World-renowned researcher, educator, speaker and published author; and Founder Director of the UK-based charity, Food and Behaviour (FAB) Research.