Have Hope: Psychiatry Officially Embraces the Future
Personal Perspective: How annual meeting of psychiatrists considered the brain
Posted May 27, 2026 | Reviewed by Davia Sills
In a hallowed tradition, psychiatrists from across the country gathered together to meet and discuss our field as we have done most years since 1844. What was different this year at the American Psychiatric Association meeting was that the neuroscientists decided to show up.
Old Problems, New Twist
There were the usual problems (in my opinion): massive exhibitions by very well-funded pharma (including but not limited to free tacos, free lattes, trying to not-so-subtly get our subconscious to feel warmly toward a drug brand), heavy, one-sided political messaging, and a lot of long-winded speeches that don’t truly change things for our patients. But, for the first time in my living memory , at least some of those long-winded speeches were pushing toward a version of psychiatry that is genuinely exciting.
I had nearly written off the educational program, the set of talks that keep psychiatrists informed of the “latest” advances. But this year, there were over two dozen talks on neuromodulation! In years past, the leading lights of brain stimulation and cutting -edge brain imaging weren’t invited to speak; this year, they were.
At the exhibition hall, it wasn’t just traditional drugs this time. There was more and more neurotechnology that made me feel like the future was bright. And that’s just the stuff they were ready to show off. In after-hours conversations, I heard about even more mind-blowing technology on the way.
There are a bunch of psychedelics on the way. There will (finally) be a clearance, and by the time we psychiatrists meet again, the FDA will probably approve at least one of them. There were several FDA-cleared take-home brain stimulation devices (Flow for depression , Neuralief for depression, and Alpha- Stim for depression, anxiety , and insomnia ; not on display but I also chatted with one of the doctors behind the Monarch for ADHD ), the only FDA-cleared neurofeedback device (Prism for PTSD ), EEG devices (like Universal Brain and ANT), two portable transcranial magnetic stimulators (MagVenture and AMPA for depression and more; full disclosure, I’m an advisor to AMPA), and newer versions or upgrades of other TMS machines (MagVenture, Blossom, Apollo, Magnus; not on display but chatted with one of the key people at Brainsway and found out exciting stuff is on the way!).
There’s a lot of work to do. It’s an uphill battle. Those of us trying to turn psychiatry away from “mostly pills” remain a minority. But for the first time, I felt like we had achieved a critical mass. In light of federal encouragement to consider alternatives, it’s starting to feel like there may actually be hope of that happening.
If you or someone you know suffers from a mental health condition, there’s more hope today than you may think, and even more hope tomorrow. If you have mental health challenges and haven’t tried brain stimulation, ask your doctor if it’s right for you. Or ask a brain stimulation doctor directly. There are lightweight take-home devices, local treatment centers (e.g., search "TMS near me"), and places to fly in for more serious cases.
I’m excited to tell you that when we psychiatrists come back together in 2027, I’m confident that there will be truly new and different options. For the first time, coming home from a meeting of the APA, I was downright hopeful about the future of our field.
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David M. Carreon, MD, is a psychiatrist and leading clinician in the treatment of major depressive disorder.
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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.