‘Too many patients begin treatment without a clear understanding of the risks,’ the health secretary said.
The federal government is taking steps to tackle what it described as the overprescribing of antidepressants and other psychiatric drugs, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said at an event focused on “mental health and overmedicalization” in Washington on May 4.
Kennedy noted that a significant percentage of Americans take drugs for mental health, including around 10 percent of children.
“That’s not a marginal issue. This is a system-level pattern,” he said. “Too many patients begin treatment without a clear understanding of the risks and how long they will stay on these drugs, and how they will come off of it. And we’re going to fix it.”
Four divisions of Kennedy’s agency, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), said in a May 4 “Dear Colleague” letter to health care providers that they should fully inform patients of the risks and benefits before prescribing drugs.
The letter was signed by the leaders of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, and the Administration for Children and Families.
Patients should also be told of potential symptoms when stopping the drugs, and of alternatives that are not pharmacological, such as psychotherapy and physical activity, the divisions said.
“HHS also encourages regular and deliberate review of psychiatric medication regimens to ensure that each medication remains necessary, beneficial, and aligned with the individual’s current clinical needs and treatment goals,” the letter stated.
In some cases, it is clear that continued use of a medication is warranted, but in others, the medication may no longer be providing any meaningful benefit, authorities said. That means that tapering or discontinuation should happen, with doctors closely monitoring such patients.
Additional steps in the coming months will include the publication of new data on prescribing trends, further guidance for doctors, and training modules on psychiatric medication risks, tapering, and how to stop prescribing drugs to psychiatric patients. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, an HHS division, will also be outlining in forthcoming documents that doctors can be reimbursed for that work, including planning for a patient’s care and monitoring withdrawal symptoms.
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