Last fall, amidst the ongoing national Adderall shortage, I decided it was time to start playing video games every day. That's because I learned about a new game called EndeavorOTC, which was in the process of gaining FDA clearance as a potential alternative treatment for ADHD.
Yes, you can now officially prescribe a video game to people to help them deal with ADHD.
Admittedly, I was pretty skeptical about the whole thing. But I stuck with it, not only playing the game but also speaking with neuroscientists, psychologists, and other cognitive researchers to better understand what this game was supposed to be doing for my brain and how it might (or might not) help people like me who have ADHD.
Over at Wirecutter, I just published my full review of EndeavorOTC. Ultimately, I found that the game could be helpful for some people! However, it was not the miraculous "cure" that the company marketing purports it to be. As I wrote:
EndeavorOTC is not a "cure" for ADHD, nor does it claim to be. There is no "cure" for ADHD because there is nothing to cure. ADHD brains work differently than most people expect them to, but they still work.
Akili, the company behind the game, has published several papers demonstrating its effectiveness as a treatment for certain symptoms of ADHD. These papers have not been traditionally peer-reviewed, however, and there is no independent data available to support or disprove any of the company's claims.
And while the game has received FDA clearance, essentially that just means it's not dangerous and that it's helpful for some people.
"They've done enough clinical trials to prove that it doesn't not work," explained Allyson Harrison, a clinical psychologist at Queen's University in Ontario who's published numerous papers on ADHD.
This FDA-Cleared Video Game for ADHD Helped Me Focus. But Then I Got Bored. [Thom Dunn / The New York Times]
Previously:
• FDA rejects MDMA for PTSD treatment
• FDA denies approval of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD
• FDA warns company selling human poop by mail
• FDA relaxes food labeling regulations for pandemic
• FDA: stop eating Nyquil-fried Chicken
