Changing Minds

From the outside, things seemed to be going well for Josh Barker. But internally, he felt like he was falling apart. Some mornings he could barely get out of bed.

Eventually, Josh hit rock bottom. After an attempt to take his own life and a stay in a psychiatric care unit, he was given a diagnosis: Major Depressive Disorder. He spent years working toward stability—seeing therapists, taking medications, consulting with various doctors—until, eventually, he came to feel like he had regained control of his life.

Josh’s struggle is far from uncommon. One in five U.S. adults live with some form of mental illness.

A.J. Cannon, a physician-neuroscientist at AbbVie, who designs and executes clinical trials evaluating novel treatments for mental illnesses is working to overcome those hurdles—addressing them across all stages of drug development.