The Week in Review: March 24-28

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In case you missed any important updates, here is a recap of this week in Psychiatric Times, including clinical trial news on solriamfetol for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), exclusive content on the joint statement for psychiatric organizations defending the safety of psychotropic medications, and more information on acquired brain injury in honor of Brain Injury Awareness Month.

Phase 3 Trial Success: Solriamfetol for the Treatment of Adults With ADHD

Axsome Therapeutics announced that the FOCUS phase 3 trial of solriamfetol for the treatment of ADHD achieved its primary and key secondary endpoints, demonstrating statistically significant improvements in ADHD symptoms and disease severity compared with placebo. Investigators randomly assigned 516 adult participants with ADHD to receive solriamfetol 150 mg, solriamfetol 300 mg, or placebo once daily for 6 weeks. Solriamfetol was able to reduce mean ADHD symptom burden by nearly 50%. Read more here.

Challenges in Treating Acquired Brain Injury

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month. Because approximately 3.5 million acquired brain injuries occur each year in the United States, Gary S. Seale, PhD, LPA, LCDC, CBIS-T, shared more information on treatment challenges for these injuries. Many of the symptoms frequently reported following brain injury, such as irritability, fatigue, sleep problems, decreased initiation, and attentional difficulties, may or may not be associated with neuropsychiatric disorders, and are thus important for psychiatric clinicians to be able to distinguish. Read more here.

Re-Affirming Evidence-Based Psychiatric Care: A Joint Statement on Psychotropic Medication Safety

On March 21, 2025, 6 psychiatric organizations published a joint statement to reaffirm the safety and efficacy of psychotropic medications, aimed to bring clarity following an executive order questioning the safety of various psychotropic medications. This week, in an exclusive interview with Psychiatric Times, Joseph F. Goldberg, MD—president of the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 1 of the 6 organizations that signed the statement—shared more details about the impetus of the statement. Watch the interview here.

Poll: Is Psychiatry Doing Enough to Address Federal Doubt of the Field?

We want to hear from you! As the federal government expresses doubt about psychotropic medications, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, and stimulants, should psychiatry be doing more to address this concern? Take the poll here.

Are There Sex Differences in Cognition and Does It Matter?

Our March Special Report on cognition is now live! In this article, learn more about biological, hormonal, and sociocultural factors that contribute to sex differences in cognition, affecting spatial reasoning, language, memory, and emotional processing. Research notes that males typically excel in visual-spatial tasks, while females outperform in verbal tasks and emotional processing. Psychiatrists and mental health clinicians should consider sex differences in cognitive abilities when diagnosing and treating neuropsychiatric conditions, ensuring tailored interventions. Read more here.

Leveling Up Together: Nurturing LGBTQIA+ Mental Health in Gaming Communities

Video games have become vital for LGBTQIA+ representation and community-building, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Positive LGBTQIA+ representation in games fosters inclusivity and empowerment, while negative portrayals can harm players’ mental health. Psychiatrists and mental health clinicians can assess gaming habits during sessions and promote media that supports positive self-image. Read more here.

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