2026 NEI Fall Congress Young Investigator Poster Awards
Friday, November 6, 2026
The 2026 NEI Fall Congress Scientific Poster Session was held on Saturday, November 7th and featured close to 200 posters covering the full spectrum of mental health research and clinical data. Among them, three particularly stood out for the quality of their data and contributions to the field. Presented below are the winners of the 2026 NEI Fall Congress Young Investigator Poster Competition.
Beyond Diagnostic Comorbidity: Toward a Shared Cognitive-Behavioral Framework for Obsessive-Compulsive Features in ADHD
Sokun Bagni, BS1; Radwa Hanafy, MBBCh, MSc2; Muhammad Zaidi, MD2
1Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA; 2Department of Behavioral Health, Saint Elizabeths Hospital, Washington, DC, USA
Introduction: ADHD and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) frequently co-occur, but reported comorbidity rates are inconsistent across reviews. People with ADHD often describe obsessive-compulsive (OC)-like features, such as intrusive thoughts, hoarding, and checking. This review synthesizes current evidence on OC-like features in ADHD and evaluates whether they reflect overlapping processes along a spectrum rather than isolated comorbid symptoms.
Methods: A focused narrative review of human studies across the lifespan was conducted using a structured literature search of PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science. The review emphasized OC-like features, internal cognitive interference, and neurobiological mechanisms, and included clinical, cognitive, neuroimaging, and genetic evidence.
Results: Adults with ADHD report more unwanted intrusive thoughts and worry than healthy controls, which has been linked to cognitive disinhibition. ADHD-related distractibility extends to internal sources, including mind wandering and intrusive thoughts, likely reflecting weakened top-down attentional control. Impulsivity, hyperactivity, and reduced cognitive-behavioral control have been associated with inflated responsibility and OC symptoms. Childhood inattention predicts later hoarding, which appears to reflect executive dysfunction and disorganization rather than classic OCD pathology; similarly, punding is distinct from OCD and linked to dopaminergic mechanisms. Neuroimaging implicates cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical circuits as a possible shared framework.
Conclusions: OC-like symptoms in ADHD appear to exist on a spectrum and may reflect heterogeneous ADHD-related mechanisms, including internal cognitive interference that can present as obsessive-compulsive-like features. The authors propose this as a testable hypothesis about an underrecognized cognitive dimension of ADHD.
Funding: No Funding.
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Treatment as Prevention in ADHD: Pharmacotherapy and Serious Real-World Outcomes Beyond Symptom Control of ADHD
Mae Hill, CRNP; Gagan Dhaliwal, MD
Introduction: ADHD is associated with premature death, suicidal behavior, substance misuse, injuries, transportation crashes, and criminal involvement. Short-term symptom trials may miss these outcomes, which matter most to patients and families. This review examines whether ADHD pharmacotherapy is linked to reductions in serious real-world outcomes beyond symptom control.
Methods: A focused evidence synthesis of large population-based cohort studies, within-individual analyses, and target-trial emulations. Studies compared outcomes during treated and untreated periods, with emphasis on designs that reduce confounding.
Results: A 2024 target-trial emulation of 148,578 people with newly diagnosed ADHD found that starting medication was associated with lower two-year all-cause mortality (HR 0.79) and unnatural-cause mortality (HR 0.75). Deaths from accidental poisoning were also lower (HR 0.47), while natural-cause mortality was not significantly reduced. A second emulation of 148,581 people linked medication to lower rates of first suicidal behavior, substance misuse, transportation accidents, and criminality; the reduction in first accidental injuries was not statistically significant. For recurrent events, treatment was associated with reductions across all five outcomes. Earlier within-individual studies found fewer suicide attempts, serious crashes, and criminal acts during medicated periods. Evidence on whether childhood stimulant use prevents later substance use disorders remains mixed.
Conclusions: ADHD medication should not be framed solely as a means of improving attention or productivity. When appropriately prescribed and monitored, treatment is associated with meaningful reductions in several serious outcomes. Because the evidence is largely observational, causation is not established and residual confounding is possible. Shared decision-making should weigh medication risks against the risks of untreated ADHD, along with safety, functioning, and long-term outcomes.
Funding: No Funding.
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Early Subjective Response to Antidepressants Predicts 12-Week Outcomes Better Than Baseline Severity
Gryan Garcia, PhD, PsyD, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC1
1College of Graduate Nursing, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA, USA
Introduction: Antidepressant selection in major depressive disorder (MDD) often relies on baseline symptom severity, such as PHQ-9 score. Patients frequently notice early changes in sleep, anxiety, energy, concentration, or motivation before standardized scores move, yet these changes are underused in clinical decision-making. This study asked whether early subjective response predicts 12-week outcomes better than baseline severity in outpatient adults with MDD.
Methods: Retrospective cohort study of outpatient psychiatric records for 186 adults with MDD who started a new antidepressant between January 2023 and December 2025. Early subjective response was defined as patient-reported improvement in at least one domain (sleep, energy, concentration, motivation, or anxiety) within two weeks. Outcomes at approximately 12 weeks were PHQ-9 change, clinical response (≥50% PHQ-9 reduction), remission (PHQ-9 <5), and functional improvement. Multivariable regression adjusted for age, sex, baseline PHQ-9, antidepressant class, and comorbid anxiety.
Results: Early subjective improvement was reported by 112 patients (60.2%). Early responders had a larger mean PHQ-9 reduction (10.8 vs 5.6 points; p < .001), with scores falling from 18.4 to 7.6 versus 19.1 to 13.5 in non-early responders. Clinical response (68.8% vs 32.4%), remission (41.1% vs 17.6%), and functional improvement (72.3% vs 37.8%) were all higher among early responders. After adjustment, early response remained a significant predictor of clinical response (adjusted OR = 3.84), whereas baseline PHQ-9 was not independently associated with remission.
Conclusions: Early subjective improvement predicted 12-week symptom reduction, remission, and functional gains more strongly than baseline severity. Asking patients about early changes in symptoms and functioning, even before standardized scores improve, and structured early-response monitoring may help guide decisions about continuing, optimizing, augmenting, or changing medication.
Funding: No Funding.
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