This company’s video game could be a drug-free ADHD treatment for adults
This company’s video game could be a drug-free ADHD treatment for adults
This company’s video game could be a drug-free ADHD treatment for adults
By Shalene Gupta
July 17, 2023
Summary
She wanted a different solution for her ADHD-and an ad she found about a clinical trial for a video game geared toward adults with ADHD sounded like a good option.
"I'm not a game player, but when I commit to something I stay to it and I really wanted to try this." The video game was EndeavorOTC, which launched in the Apple App store in June.
The company's EndeavorRx, a prescription video game that treats ADHD in children, has been approved for marketing since 2020-earning Akili a spot on Fast Company's 2021 list of the most innovative medicines and therapeutics companies-and has been prescribed more than 10,000 times.
The study, which later ended up on the cover of Nature, featured adults playing a video game that activated neural networks in the brain that improved their focus.
The game is meant to be played five days a week in 25-minute increments for a total of six weeks.
The game cuts players off after twenty-five minutes, so there's no risk of video game addiction, but even without the cutoff, treating the game like entertainment would be difficult.
"While it may be fun compared to activities like exercise or homework, it's a treatment first and foremost, different than a game developed for the sole purpose of entertainment." I can attest to that.
Reference
Gupta, S. (2023, July 17). Akili Interactive’s ENDEAVOROTC targets adult ADHD - fast company. https://www.fastcompany.com/90922755/akili-interactive-endeavorotc-game