<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<xbrl
  xmlns="http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instance"
  xmlns:dei="http://xbrl.sec.gov/dei/2021"
  xmlns:link="http://www.xbrl.org/2003/linkbase"
  xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">
    <link:schemaRef xlink:href="axsm-20211108.xsd" xlink:type="simple"/>
    <context id="C_cd0cb717-bf3d-4980-b90f-70a3d719c67f">
        <entity>
            <identifier scheme="http://www.sec.gov/CIK">0001579428</identifier>
        </entity>
        <period>
            <startDate>2021-11-08</startDate>
            <endDate>2021-11-08</endDate>
        </period>
    </context>
    <dei:AmendmentFlag
      contextRef="C_cd0cb717-bf3d-4980-b90f-70a3d719c67f"
      id="F_5cf1f49c-cee5-4028-b11c-1e6fbcd9fd12">false</dei:AmendmentFlag>
    <dei:EntityCentralIndexKey
      contextRef="C_cd0cb717-bf3d-4980-b90f-70a3d719c67f"
      id="F_cb6c0423-1cca-40b0-93fd-b09ca99f8392">0001579428</dei:EntityCentralIndexKey>
    <dei:DocumentType
      contextRef="C_cd0cb717-bf3d-4980-b90f-70a3d719c67f"
      id="F_8e7917d1-749d-4e31-8498-0ea92c10da12">8-K</dei:DocumentType>
    <dei:DocumentPeriodEndDate
      contextRef="C_cd0cb717-bf3d-4980-b90f-70a3d719c67f"
      id="F_2516fc70-69e9-48e2-b1cf-ffe5ad7159b8">2021-11-08</dei:DocumentPeriodEndDate>
    <dei:EntityRegistrantName
      contextRef="C_cd0cb717-bf3d-4980-b90f-70a3d719c67f"
      id="F_35c0d439-094b-4cc2-9ffd-75cf4b988175">Axsome Therapeutics, Inc.</dei:EntityRegistrantName>
    <dei:EntityIncorporationStateCountryCode
      contextRef="C_cd0cb717-bf3d-4980-b90f-70a3d719c67f"
      id="F_94ce62fb-a093-4f4f-b305-ea144ada1bf5">DE</dei:EntityIncorporationStateCountryCode>
    <dei:EntityFileNumber
      contextRef="C_cd0cb717-bf3d-4980-b90f-70a3d719c67f"
      id="F_34e5e83a-742f-4f0d-ac4f-eb91b9b912dd">001-37635</dei:EntityFileNumber>
    <dei:EntityTaxIdentificationNumber
      contextRef="C_cd0cb717-bf3d-4980-b90f-70a3d719c67f"
      id="F_f6915534-f24e-4803-b9af-fcda18accc60">45-4241907</dei:EntityTaxIdentificationNumber>
    <dei:EntityAddressAddressLine1
      contextRef="C_cd0cb717-bf3d-4980-b90f-70a3d719c67f"
      id="F_401c9d2c-e30f-4127-91e6-3dd02e0bece8">22 Cortlandt Street, 16th Floor</dei:EntityAddressAddressLine1>
    <dei:EntityAddressCityOrTown
      contextRef="C_cd0cb717-bf3d-4980-b90f-70a3d719c67f"
      id="F_bb2097d4-854e-40bc-b6b4-e16a11f6d575">New York</dei:EntityAddressCityOrTown>
    <dei:EntityAddressStateOrProvince
      contextRef="C_cd0cb717-bf3d-4980-b90f-70a3d719c67f"
      id="F_1ebf6ea3-09a0-4144-9de6-3b3044be151e">NY</dei:EntityAddressStateOrProvince>
    <dei:EntityAddressPostalZipCode
      contextRef="C_cd0cb717-bf3d-4980-b90f-70a3d719c67f"
      id="F_fd248de1-aa22-465b-9bf9-48df1c120ae9">10007</dei:EntityAddressPostalZipCode>
    <dei:CityAreaCode
      contextRef="C_cd0cb717-bf3d-4980-b90f-70a3d719c67f"
      id="F_c22a15e6-667c-46d5-a9c5-08615f3fc032">(212)</dei:CityAreaCode>
    <dei:LocalPhoneNumber
      contextRef="C_cd0cb717-bf3d-4980-b90f-70a3d719c67f"
      id="F_c8bd398d-b93b-4d17-9fea-932e614587ea">332-3241</dei:LocalPhoneNumber>
    <dei:WrittenCommunications
      contextRef="C_cd0cb717-bf3d-4980-b90f-70a3d719c67f"
      id="F_aaf72b55-bf5f-41cb-9ad0-f153f98baed6">false</dei:WrittenCommunications>
    <dei:SolicitingMaterial
      contextRef="C_cd0cb717-bf3d-4980-b90f-70a3d719c67f"
      id="F_4121750b-5e26-40e8-a3b6-b50c230a4cb2">false</dei:SolicitingMaterial>
    <dei:PreCommencementTenderOffer
      contextRef="C_cd0cb717-bf3d-4980-b90f-70a3d719c67f"
      id="F_14db19da-46d8-40ee-b001-da3865048a4f">false</dei:PreCommencementTenderOffer>
    <dei:PreCommencementIssuerTenderOffer
      contextRef="C_cd0cb717-bf3d-4980-b90f-70a3d719c67f"
      id="F_00d0cae3-bfb8-4d75-8f11-b128f9331d5b">false</dei:PreCommencementIssuerTenderOffer>
    <dei:Security12bTitle
      contextRef="C_cd0cb717-bf3d-4980-b90f-70a3d719c67f"
      id="F_c281595d-2132-4065-aed0-8b8468db769f">Common Stock, Par Value $0.0001 Per Share</dei:Security12bTitle>
    <dei:TradingSymbol
      contextRef="C_cd0cb717-bf3d-4980-b90f-70a3d719c67f"
      id="F_3df05c84-6a3f-443f-938d-92d1ff0535a1">AXSM</dei:TradingSymbol>
    <dei:SecurityExchangeName
      contextRef="C_cd0cb717-bf3d-4980-b90f-70a3d719c67f"
      id="F_1ead8156-c79a-4f45-a54c-8a0c5511ddf5">NASDAQ</dei:SecurityExchangeName>
    <dei:EntityEmergingGrowthCompany
      contextRef="C_cd0cb717-bf3d-4980-b90f-70a3d719c67f"
      id="F_94165d6b-1cdf-4eb8-ad36-ea9e006e749d">false</dei:EntityEmergingGrowthCompany>
</xbrl>
