O'Neil, Adrienne, Manger, Sam, and Marx, Wolfgang (2022) Netflix psychiatrist Phil Stutz says 85% of early therapy gains are down to lifestyle changes. Is he right? The Conversation, 07 December 2022.

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Abstract

[Extract] Jonah Hill's Netflix documentary, Stutz, is an insightful journey into the mind of his therapist, renowned psychiatrist Phil Stutz. Hill delves into Stutz' model of care, creatively using visual depictions of key concepts and “tools” drawn by Stutz himself.

This model is founded upon one's relationship with their physical body. When he's discussing the importance of health behaviours like exercise, diet and sleep, Stutz estimates 85% of the initial gains to someone with mental health concerns commencing therapy can come from focusing on these “lifestyle” factors.

Surprised, Hill says in the film:

"When I was a kid, exercise and diet was framed to me in like, ‘there’s something wrong with how you look’. But never once was exercise or diet propositioned to me in terms of mental health. I just wish that was presented to people differently. Because for me, that caused a lot of problems."

So, is Stutz right?

Item ID:	93867
Item Type:	Article (Commentary)
ISSN:	2201-5639
Copyright Information:	This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives License (CC BY-ND).
Date Deposited:	31 Aug 2026 07:08
FoR Codes:	42 HEALTH SCIENCES > 4203 Health services and systems > 420313 Mental health services @ 100%
SEO Codes:	20 HEALTH > 2004 Public health (excl. specific population health) > 200409 Mental health @ 100%
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