Every October 10th, the world comes together to recognize World Mental Health Day, an initiative led by the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise awareness, break stigma, and promote mental well-being globally.
To celebrate the day, we sat down with Adam Simmons, Premier’s Vice President, Program Strategy, Neuroscience, who is an industry veteran and leading advocate for mental health research.
Adam, World Mental Health Day has been celebrated since October 10, 1992. What progress have you seen in the mental health industry since this awareness day launched over 30 years ago?
Over the past three decades, the field of mental health has undergone significant transformation. Awareness, access to care, and understanding of mental health have evolved dramatically, reshaping public perception and the services available to those in need. From a policy standpoint, we’ve seen national-level programs implemented like 988, a suicide and crisis lifeline that provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress, along with a growing employer acceptance and/or government mandates for paid time off to include mental health reasons. We’re also seeing more advocacy issues becoming part of a broader social narrative, as demonstrated by new awareness days like World Suicide Prevention Day, celebrated annually on September 10.
Medical advancements in neuroscience, psychology, and pharmacology have deepened our understanding of mental health conditions. Over the last 30 years, we’ve learned more about the biological, genetic, and environmental factors that contribute to mental illnesses. There are now new mechanisms for people living with schizophrenia and major depression, approvals for more specific indications, such as postpartum depression, and growing evidence of the use of psychedelic therapies in the treatment of many mental illnesses.
Despite remarkable progress, we face new challenges that didn’t exist 30 years ago, such as the opioid epidemic, a new generation of military veterans living with PTSD, and lingering effects of social isolation from the COVID-19 pandemic.
What advancements in mental health drug development are you most excited about?
I’m confident that new medications will continue to be developed that can offer better treatments, both in terms of improved efficacy and fewer side effects. I’m equally (if not more) excited, however, about the promise technology can play in how we diagnose, treat, and improve clinical care. It’s amazing to think about all the digital biomarkers that can be collected by the devices we carry with us every day – from how we sleep, to what we do, to how we talk to people. We’re on the cusp of really figuring out how we can translate this data for clinical care teams, empowering them with assessing the effectiveness of treatments in real-time rather than between visits with a clinician, which can take months to occur.
You recently authored a research paper on collecting qualitative exit interviews, a novel methodology, in a trial for schizophrenia patients. Can you share more about your experience and the importance of incorporating these patient perspectives into clinical research?
This is another area that has certainly changed for the better. Historically, mental health research was often conducted without fully integrating the perspectives and experiences of those most affected by mental illness. Today, there is a growing recognition, and one that Premier Research actively supports, that patients are not just participants but invaluable collaborators whose lived experience can shape research outcomes, improve treatments, and inform mental health policy.
In fact, for drug approvals, regulators are now requiring that in addition to clinician assessment, the patient’s voice should be incorporated into the data being collected to support the effectiveness of a drug. Patients can have a very different perspective about wellness than their treating physician. It would be like asking chefs to give their own restaurant a review as opposed to the people who are consuming the food.
For the specific study highlighted in our paper, we asked participants living with schizophrenia to describe, in their own words, how the investigational treatment compared to previous treatments, and used a qualitative method to look for patterns in their responses. We found some common themes that aligned with the clinician scales, but also identified some unique insights that could only be discovered using qualitative methodology. We believe this has broad potential to be incorporated into more clinical trials in the future.
What other roles or impact can patients have in mental health clinical research?
I would encourage patients to ask their providers about participating in clinical research. Even if not for themselves, the simple act of patients letting their providers know they are looking for research opportunities, or learn about them, has the potential to expand trial opportunities to more patients. We see this working well in areas like oncology and rare disease. The more patients participate, the faster research studies can bring new treatments to others living with the same conditions.
We know that regulatory bodies like the FDA are pushing for more patient-focused drug development. What’s your take on the industry’s progress in this area?
Since 2012, the FDA has been holding Patient-Focused Drug Development (PFDD) meetings, where patients, caregivers, and advocates share their experiences directly with FDA officials, researchers, and drug developers. These meetings allow the FDA to gather critical insights about the symptoms that matter most to patients and the impact of their conditions on daily life.
This has been a great first step, but as both the science and clinical care delivery systems change, including the medications available, regulatory thinking must also continue to evolve to meet the needs of patients.
Let’s grab your crystal ball for a moment – what’s next for mental health? What does the industry look like in 5 years?
The concept of personalized medicine is making its way into mental health care. Understanding that mental health conditions are not one-size-fits-all, future approaches will focus on precision mental health, where treatments are tailored to the individual based on a combination of genetic, biological, psychological, and social factors. This will continue to evolve and develop as we enhance our understanding of individual variability and how we respond to treatments via a combination of biomarkers (digital and biologic). Additionally, clinician and, importantly, patient assessments will continue to be key factors influencing personalized therapy approaches, helping to drive better therapeutic outcomes and greater patient satisfaction.
I’m hopeful that by continuing to innovate and put patients at the center of care, we can create a future where mental well-being is not just a goal but a reality for all.
To hear more of Adam’s insights and perspectives on mental health, book a meeting with him here.
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