Authors

Arham Javaid, MD

Dr Javaid is the current chief resident at BronxCare Health System in New York City, with interests in psycho-oncology, consultation-liaison psychiatry, systems of care and resident education.

Latest Article

Sports Psychiatry and ADHD: A Vital Link in Neurodevelopment and Performance

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder(ADHD) is among the most prevalent neurodevelopmental conditions in both childhood and adolescence. ADHD is associated with significant academic, emotional, and functional impairment. In clinical practice, pharmacotherapy and behavioral interventions remain foundational. However, physical activity and structured sports participation represent underutilized, evidence-based adjuncts for symptom regulation, emotional resilience, and long-term health. Meta-analytic evidence demonstrates that exercise improves attention, executive functioning, and core ADHD symptoms. Newly emerging literature highlights the moderating role of family context and access disparities. Sports psychiatry provides a translational framework integrating mental health treatment with performance optimization, injury recovery, and psychosocial development. Adopting a neurodiversity-informed, biopsychosocial lens allows clinicians to leverage movement as a regulatory and strengths-based intervention rather than solely a symptom target. This article synthesizes epidemiologic trends, exercise science, parenting influences, and sports psychiatry principles to offer practical clinical strategies for psychiatrists counseling families and youth. Emphasizing physical activity as a core component of holistic ADHD care may enhance resilience, engagement, and lifelong mental health trajectories.

Marcus Hughes, MD

Dr Hughes is an assistant professor of psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine and an attending psychiatrist on the interventional psychiatry service.

Dr Aga is a geriatric psychiatrist at the Layton Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Neurology at Oregon Health and Science University.

Dr Noonan is a physician, mental health and wellness coach; author of 5 books on managing mental health and mood disorders with a print and video blog; consultant; group facilitator; and Certified Peer Specialist. She has a unique perspective having lived with a mood disorder and bridges that space between provider and recipient of mental health services, which resonates with many people. Dr Noonan is the inaugural recipient of the national Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance Peer Support Specialist of the Year 2022. Her most recent books, published by Johns Hopkins University Press, include: Take Control of Your Depression: Strategies to help you feel better now (2018); Helping Others with Depression: Words to Say, Things to Do (2020); and Reconnecting after Isolation: Coping with Anxiety, Depression, Grief, PTSD and More (2022).

Dr Gauld is a pediatric psychiatrist in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychopathology at the Hospices Civils de Lyon, and at the Institut Des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod.

Claire Brandon, MD

Dr Brandon is the founder and medical director of Whole Body Psychiatry. She is dual board-certified in adult psychiatry and consultation-liaison psychiatry, and specializes in gut-brain health.

Rajesh R. Tampi, MD, MS, DFAPA, DFAAGP

Dr Tampi is professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Creighton University School of Medicine and Catholic Health Initiatives Health Behavioral Health Services. He is also an adjunct professor of psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, and a member of the Psychiatric Times editorial board.

Anita H. Clayton, MD

Dr Clayton is chair of psychiatry and neurobehavioral sciences and professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Virginia. She has published more than 200 peer-reviewed papers and was named to the 2019-2020 Best Doctors in America list.

Awais Aftab, MD

Dr Aftab is clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He is the editor of Conversations in Critical Psychiatry (Oxford University Press, 2024) and writes online at Psychiatry at the Margins.

Brian Miller, MD, PhD, MPH

Dr Miller is professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior, Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia. He is on the Editorial Board and serves as the schizophrenia section chief for Psychiatric Times. The author reports that he receives research support from Augusta University, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the Stanley Medical Research Institute.

Cynthia M.A. Geppert, MD, PhD, MA, MPH, MSBE, DPS, MSJ

Dr Geppert is professor emeritus of psychiatry and internal medicine and director of ethics education at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine in Albuquerque. She is an adjunct professor of bioethics at the Alden March Bioethics Institute of Albany Medical College. She serves as the ethics editor for Psychiatric Times.

David N. Osser, MD

Dr Osser is an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School; a psychiatrist at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Boston Healthcare System, Brockton Division; and codirector of the VA National Bipolar Disorders TeleHealth Program. He is also a Psychiatric Times editorial board member.