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Jess Levine is a licensed clinical social worker at a large community mental health organization. She has worked there for more than eight years, and the agency serves hundreds of young people every year. Her days include supervising interns, seeing individual clients at the agency, in schools, and over telehealth, and running groups.

Her team uses the K-CAT^® to help with some of the hardest parts of that work: long waitlists, complex histories, and planning treatment that fits each young person.

Dr. Scott Kollins is a clinical psychologist and chief medical officer at Aura. He is also an adjunct professor of psychiatry at the Duke University School of Medicine. Much of his work focuses on digital wellness and positive mental health for kids. 

For more than 30 years, he has been part of clinical research, and he often tells colleagues that the K-CAT^® is "the greatest set of tools they've probably never heard of." 

The client seemed straightforward. Good grades. Holding it together. A typical intake.

Then the assessment results came back, and Steve Monte, founder and Clinical Director of Rock Life Counseling in Indianapolis, saw something completely different: bipolar disorder with manic features. Substance use in the past month. A pattern of risky choices that could've spiraled for months or years without intervention.

"Something that could've easily taken three to six months to fully uncover," Steve said. "We were able to get to it within the first three or four visits."

That's not luck. That's what happens when you have the right tools and the right approach.

HOBOKEN, Oct. 28, 2026 - Workplace burnout, youth mental health, trauma, grief, and AI companions. The issues shaping mental health today are wide-ranging, evolving and the focus of Pearson's 2026 Mental Health Virtual Summit on October 29.  

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research is moving toward earlier detection, more precise diagnosis, and interventions designed to slow disease progression. As researchers get better at identifying risk and detecting disease earlier, it becomes increasingly important to consider the patient perspective: Do patients want to know their risk, and how should that information shape their care?

The patient perspective is at the heart of the fourth episode of “The Progress Profile: Alzheimer’s Research in Focus,” featuring Dr. Wiesje van der Flier, executive director at Alzheimer Nederland. In conversation with moderator John Harrison, van der Flier explores what earlier detection and prevention could mean for patients, families, and healthcare systems, and the reason that giving patients a stronger voice will be essential as the field moves forward.

Imagine a young child in the grocery store who, for the first time, sees a person using a wheelchair. In response to their finger pointing and perhaps a childishly worded question, they receive the first lesson in disability they’ve ever had: that person cannot walk. Disability is when somebody cannot do something that most other people can do.

This explanation is simple and concrete enough for a young child. The problem arises when a person’s understanding never goes any deeper than that. Because if disability is when somebody can’t do something, then what is it called when they can… sometimes? 

What about the young, autistic child who can sometimes put on his own shoes, but other times refuses?

What about the teenager with ADHD who can sometimes keep track of her homework, but other times doesn’t even check her planner?

What about the wheelchair user who rolls out of the grocery store, gets to her car, and stands up to stow the chair in the trunk?

Are these disabled people faking it? Choosing to behave badly? Or is it just that disability is deeper and more complex than a toddler-level understanding?

Success at work often depends on juggling competing priorities, shifting between tasks, managing deadlines, and collaborating with colleagues while remaining organized and focused. For adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), workplace demands can require significantly more mental effort.

“Adults with ADHD aren’t typically struggling because they lack intelligence, motivation, or capability,” says Kathleen Woodward, nationally certified school psychologist and clinical manager at Pearson Assessments. “The issue is often a mismatch between environmental demands and executive functioning capacity rather than a lack of ability.”

More than half of adults with ADHD were diagnosed in adulthood. Although conversations about ADHD often center on productivity, planning, and organization, the disorder can also take an emotional toll. Adults with ADHD might find it harder to regulate emotions, recover from setbacks, handle criticism, and cope with chronic stress.

“Over time, that cognitive and emotional load can become exhausting,” Woodward adds. “Individuals might appear highly successful externally while privately experiencing significant fatigue, anxiety, or self-doubt.”

Adults with ADHD also bring valuable strengths to the workplace, including creativity, resilience, adaptability, and strategic thinking. With the right support, they can thrive.

Carys Evans is passionate about her work. As a senior UX designer for Pearson Qualifications, she is an integral part of a team that designs digital products for the brand.

After Evans was diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), she learned that emotional dysregulation made it harder to manage workplace stress, adapt to different work styles, and navigate conflict. It took a toll on her mental health.

“I had not really anticipated how strong the connection was between emotional regulation, mental health, and the ability to manage workloads,” she says.

For many of the 15.5 million American adults diagnosed with ADHD, emotional regulation can be a struggle. ADHD can affect the way people process frustration, handle stress, and regulate emotions, leading to high anxiety or angry outbursts, low tolerance for frustrating situations, mood swings, unpredictable emotions, and difficulty calming down.

Although emotional dysregulation is increasingly recognized as part of ADHD, many adults grow up believing they are oversensitive, reactive, or bad at coping with stress and uncertainty. In undiagnosed adults, these issues are often the red flags that set them on a journey toward diagnosis.