Deprescribing psychiatric drugs put on U.S. agenda to limit overuse
A new federal plan brings long-term use, withdrawal, and tapering into focus after years of patient reports and clinical concern.
The United States has moved to address growing concern about the widespread use of psychiatric drugs, with a new federal plan that puts deprescribing on the national agenda.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today announced an initiative to curb what officials describe as overprescribing in mental health and to support patients who want to reduce or stop medication.
At the same time, four major HHS agencies issued a “Dear Colleague” letter urging clinicians to rethink how mental health care is delivered.
The letter calls for expanded use of non-drug approaches, stronger informed consent, and regular review of whether psychiatric medications remain necessary — including, where appropriate, reducing or discontinuing them.
It emphasises that patients should be informed not just at the start of treatment, but throughout — including the risks of side effects, withdrawal and abrupt cessation.
The announcement follows a summit in Washington, D.C. on the over-medicalisation of mental health, hosted by the MAHA Institute in partnership with the Inner Compass Initiative (ICI).
“Too often when people speak about them, their stories are dismissed as merely anecdotal or unfortunate,” said Cooper Davis, executive director of ICI. “But anecdotes are in fact evidence. Subjective experience matters.”