Reflections from the 2026 NEI Spring Congress

When my schedule allows, NEI is the conference I make a point to attend.

As mental health professionals, we cannot afford to practice off information from five or ten years ago and assume that’s enough. Psychiatry changes fast. New research is published constantly. New medications enter the market. Even the way we conceptualize treatment-resistant conditions continues to evolve. Our patients deserve providers who are staying current.

That is one of the biggest reasons I prioritize NEI when I can. It is one of the few conferences where I can sit in a room with the clinicians and researchers actively shaping the future of psychiatry, then leave with information I can apply in practice almost immediately. Whether you are a brand new provider or someone who has been prescribing for twenty years, there is always something that challenges your thinking.

This year was no different.

One session I was particularly looking forward to was Dr. Christoph Correll’s discussion on rapid-acting treatments for major depressive disorder. I have never believed in asking patients to suffer for six to eight weeks before deciding whether a treatment plan needs adjustment. In my own practice, I follow up with patients within two weeks. If they are not showing some level of improvement, I am already thinking about what needs to be tweaked. It was meaningful to hear this conversation taking place on a larger stage. The idea that we can and should think more strategically about faster symptom relief is something I strongly believe in.

I also valued Dr. Roger McIntyre’s presentation on biomarkers and difficult-to-treat depression. What stood out most was how he challenged the phrase “treatment-resistant depression.” His point was powerful: if a patient is labeled treatment-resistant but then finally receives the right treatment and improves, were they truly treatment-resistant, or simply difficult to treat until we found the right approach?

That reframing matters. Language shapes how we think about the patient, the illness, and the possibilities for recovery.

Dr. Andrew Cutler’s session on bipolar depression with mixed features also stood out, because I see this presentation often in practice. These are patients where we have to be especially strategic about how we structure medications. Missing the mixed features, or treating too aggressively with the wrong approach, can unintentionally worsen the clinical picture.

Dr. Jennifer Payne’s discussion on postpartum mood and anxiety disorders was equally valuable. I see this in psychiatric practice frequently, and in the past I often found myself wanting to refer
these patients out because of how specialized the care can feel. I left with more confidence and more concrete treatment options to support mothers through such a sensitive transition.
What I take away from NEI, however, goes beyond medications and clinical updates. It reminds me why I do this work in the first place.

Psychiatry has never been just about prescribing medication to me. We are treating whole people with real life stressors, nervous systems, hormonal changes, trauma histories, lifestyle patterns, sleep disturbances, and environmental factors that all interact. Medication has its place. So does looking at the bigger picture.
Conferences like NEI keep me grounded in the science while reminding me to continue approaching patients as human beings first.

If you are a clinician who has not yet attended NEI, I recommend experiencing it at least once. And if you are someone navigating your own mental health journey, know that many of us are actively investing our time in learning, evolving, and bringing better care back to the people we serve.
Already looking forward to the next time my schedule allows.