The Shared Goals: Navigating Alzheimer’s Agitation survey finds that Alzheimer’s disease agitation is often only recognized after daily life is significantly disrupted
Ninety-seven percent of care partners reported that agitation negatively impacted their loved one’s quality of life, and three in four wish they had recognized symptoms sooner
Results from the survey were recently presented at Psych Congress 2026 in New Orleans, Louisiana
Survey conducted by The Harris Poll and in collaboration with CaringKind
NEW YORK, Sept. 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Axsome Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: AXSM), a biopharmaceutical company leading a new era in the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) disorders, today, in connection with World Alzheimer’s Day, announced results of the Shared Goals: Navigating Alzheimer's Agitation survey that highlight the profound impact that symptoms of agitation can have on people with Alzheimer’s disease and their family care partners.
The Shared Goals survey of 751 adults who currently provide care to a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease was conducted online by The Harris Poll, with input from CaringKind, a leading expert on Alzheimer’s and dementia caregiving with over 40 years of experience, and sponsored by Axsome. It is among the largest and most recent surveys of care partners of people living with Alzheimer’s disease agitation. The Shared Goals survey results were presented at Psych Congress 2026 in New Orleans, Louisiana, on September 17 and 18, 2026.
“These survey findings give important insights into why there is such a delay in recognition of symptoms of agitation. Because the behaviors doing the most damage can be mistaken for personality changes or disease progression, they often go unaddressed until daily life is significantly disrupted,” said Brent P. Forester, M.D., psychiatrist-in-chief and chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Tufts Medical Center and director of Behavioral Health for Tufts Medicine. “Recognizing these behaviors early and discussing them with a healthcare provider allows families and clinicians to set shared goals for care and discuss treatment options, which may help them manage agitation before it becomes too overwhelming to them.”
Care partners surveyed reported that agitation negatively affected their loved one’s overall quality of life (97%), ability to care for themselves (96%), community engagement (95%) and maintaining relationships with family and friends (89%). While 85% of care partners reported being highly involved in treatment decisions, recognition often comes too late, with 76% wishing they had recognized symptoms of agitation sooner and 53% regretting not talking to their loved one’s healthcare provider sooner about their agitation symptoms.
The survey also revealed that the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease that are most detrimental to a loved one’s overall quality of life are nonaggressive symptoms of agitation, such as complaining, negativism, frequent unwarranted requests for help (76%); repetitive sentences or questions, inappropriate laughter or crying (75%); repetitive mannerisms (67%); and pacing or aimless wandering (56%).
Care partners also expressed a desire for resources to help manage their loved ones’ symptoms of agitation: 89% wished they had an easier way to track their loved one’s symptoms of agitation over time, and 81% expressed interest in a way to easily and discreetly share information about such symptoms with their loved ones’ doctor. Care partners also described unmet needs in managing agitation, with nearly half (47%) worried if they are making the right medication decisions for their loved ones. Further, 93% of care partners said they wish there was a medication that reduced their loved one's symptoms of agitation without adding negative side effects.
Additional survey results and more information on Alzheimer’s disease agitation can be found by visiting ALZGoals.com.
Survey Methodology
The Harris Poll, on behalf of Axsome Therapeutics, Inc., conducted an online survey among 751 adults age 18+ in the U.S. who currently provide informal (i.e., unpaid or unprofessional) care to a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease, between October 7 – 28, 2025. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, sample definition/details, subgroup sample sizes, and credible interval, please contact [email protected].
About Agitation Associated with Dementia Due to Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia affecting more than 7 million people in the U.S.1 Agitation associated with dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease is a neuropsychiatric condition reported in up to 75% of patients with Alzheimer’s disease and is characterized by emotional distress, verbal and physical aggressiveness, disruptive irritability and disinhibition.1,2 The exact cause of agitation in the brain is not known but it is associated with changes in glutamate and monoamine signaling.3,4 Agitation has been associated with accelerated cognitive decline, increased caregiver burden and increased mortality risk and is a leading cause of assisted living or nursing home placement.5
About Axsome Therapeutics
Axsome Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company leading a new era in the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) conditions. We deliver scientific breakthroughs by identifying critical gaps in care and develop differentiated products with a focus on novel mechanisms of action that enable meaningful advancements in patient outcomes. Our industry-leading neuroscience portfolio includes FDA-approved treatments for agitation associated with dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease, major depressive disorder, excessive daytime sleepiness associated with narcolepsy and obstructive sleep apnea, and migraine, and multiple late-stage development programs addressing a broad range of serious neurological and psychiatric conditions that impact over 150 million people in the United States. Together, we are on a mission to solve some of the brain’s biggest problems so patients and their loved ones can flourish. For more information, please visit us at www.axsome.com and follow us on LinkedIn and X.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain matters discussed in this press release are “forward-looking statements”. The Company may, in some cases, use terms such as “predicts,” “believes,” “potential,” “continue,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “plans,” “intends,” “may,” “could,” “might,” “will,” “should” or other words that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes to identify these forward-looking statements. In particular, the Company’s statements regarding trends and potential future results are examples of such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the commercial success of the Company’s SUNOSI®, AUVELITY®, and SYMBRAVO® products and the success of the Company’s efforts to obtain any additional indication(s) with respect to solriamfetol and/or AXS-05; the Company’s ability to maintain and expand payer coverage; the success, timing and cost of the Company’s ongoing clinical trials and anticipated clinical trials for the Company’s current product candidates, including statements regarding the timing of initiation, pace of enrollment and completion of the trials (including the Company’s ability to fully fund the Company’s disclosed clinical trials, which assumes no material changes to the Company’s currently projected revenues or expenses), futility analyses and receipt of interim results, which are not necessarily indicative of the final results of the Company’s ongoing clinical trials, and/or data readouts, and the number or type of studies or nature of results necessary to support the filing of a new drug application (“NDA”) for any of the Company’s current product candidates; the Company’s ability to fund additional clinical trials to continue the advancement of the Company’s product candidates; the timing of and the Company’s ability to obtain and maintain U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) or other regulatory authority approval of, or other action with respect to, the Company’s product candidates, including statements regarding the timing of any NDA submission; the Company’s ability to successfully defend its intellectual property or obtain the necessary licenses at a cost acceptable to the Company, if at all; the Company’s ability to successfully resolve any intellectual property litigation, and even if such disputes are settled, whether the applicable federal agencies will approve of such settlements; the successful implementation of the Company’s research and development programs and collaborations; the success of the Company’s license agreements; the acceptance by the market of the Company’s products and product candidates, if approved; the Company’s anticipated capital requirements, including the amount of capital required for the commercialization of SUNOSI, AUVELITY, and SYMBRAVO and for the Company’s commercial launch of its other product candidates, if approved, and the potential impact on the Company’s anticipated cash runway; the Company’s ability to convert sales to recognized revenue and maintain a favorable gross to net sales; unforeseen circumstances or other disruptions to normal business operations arising from or related to domestic political climate, geo-political conflicts or a global pandemic and other factors, including general economic conditions and regulatory developments, not within the Company’s control. The factors discussed herein could cause actual results and developments to be materially different from those expressed in or implied by such statements. The forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this press release and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.
Investors:
Ashley Dong
Senior Director, Investor Relations
(929) 687-1614
[email protected]
Media:
Darren Opland
Senior Director, Corporate Communications
(929) 837-1065
[email protected]
References:
- Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures. Alzheimer’s Association. July 22, 2026. https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures.
- Van der Mussele S, Le Bastard N, Saerens J, et al. Agitation-associated behavioral symptoms in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's dementia. Aging Ment Health. 2015;19(3):247-257.
- Cummings JL, Brubaker M, Selzler KJ, Gonzalez ST, Patel M, Stahl SM. An overview of the pathophysiology of agitation in Alzheimer's dementia with a focus on neurotransmitters and circuits. CNS Spectr. 2024;23:1-10.
- Rosenberg PB, Nowrangi MA, Lyketsos CG. Neuropsychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer's disease: What might be associated brain circuits? Mol Aspects Med. 2015;43-44:25-37.
- Porsteinsson AP, Antonsdottir IM. An update on the advancements in the treatment of agitation in Alzheimer's disease. Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2017;18(6):611-620.