LOS ANGELES - nvtip -- By CCHR International

The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) International applauded the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for launching a significant initiative to address psychiatric drug prescribing, while it also called for stronger implementation to ensure nationwide access to safe deprescribing and genuine informed consent.

On May 4, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced: "Today, we take clear and decisive action to confront our nation's mental health crisis by addressing the overuse of psychiatric medications—especially among children. We will support patient autonomy, require informed consent and shared decision-making, and shift the standard of care toward prevention, transparency, and a more holistic approach to mental health."[1]

HHS agencies will collaborate to evaluate psychiatric drug prescription patterns and identify potential harms. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued new guidance on reimbursement for deprescribing care, drug tapering plans, and monitoring. However, this is currently available only to Medicare patients and uses existing reimbursement rates and codes under Medicare's Physician Fee Schedule. It doesn't extend to Medicaid, which represents one quarter of all U.S. spending on mental health and substance abuse treatment services. States are not required to cover deprescribing services under Medicaid, resulting in highly variable coverage.

HHS will develop formal department-wide clinical guidance on appropriate use, tapering, and discontinuation through a Technical Expert Panel convening in July 2026. A May 4 "Dear Colleague" letter signed by four HHS divisions—CMS, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Health Resources and Services Administration, and the Administration for Children and Families—urges providers to deliver clear information on risks and benefits at initiation, during treatment, and when discontinuation is considered. The letter specifically highlights the need to inform patients about potential discontinuation symptoms and the importance of close monitoring during tapering.

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The letter also highlights codes for non-pharmacological treatments that may be billable under private insurance or Medicaid programs, although coverage varies significantly by state.

For the majority of physicians treating patients with private insurance, cash-pay, or other coverage, the immediate practical impact may be limited. These providers typically rely on existing Food and Drug Administration (FDA) drug labeling and professional society guidelines for tapering decisions. Current CMS documents direct clinicians to FDA label instructions for taper schedules, yet there is no indication that the FDA will issue new tapering or deprescribing guidelines.

CCHR urges additional measures. The organization calls for stronger, more accessible FDA Medication Guides (MedGuides) to be provided directly by prescribing doctors at the point of prescription, with patients required to sign an acknowledgment of receipt. This would elevate informed consent beyond current pharmacist distribution requirements.

CCHR views the initiative as a major advancement in addressing the widespread use of psychiatric drugs, which currently affects over 76.9 million Americans. The emphasis on patient autonomy, shared decision-making, informed consent, and holistic non-medication approaches represents a welcome shift. The commitment to evaluate prescription patterns for harms, reimburse deprescribing services, and develop formal clinical guidance signals growing recognition of the scale of mass prescribing, particularly among children.

Internationally, similar concerns have grown, as evidenced by the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group's 2024 call for de-prescribing services for antidepressant users and a national withdrawal helpline.[2]

Long-term use of antidepressants and other psychotropics can lead to physical dependence and severe withdrawal symptoms that persist far longer than drug elimination times. Dr. Mark Horowitz, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Adelaide University, who addressed the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) meeting at which the HHS Secretary made the announcement, has explained: "It's not the time taken for the drug to leave the system that determines the length of the effect. It's the time taken for the system to readapt to the drug not being there that explains how long withdrawal symptoms can last." Studies show withdrawal can produce new suicidal thoughts in some, even in those without prior mental health conditions.[3]

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CCHR's Long-Term Advocacy

For decades, CCHR has campaigned for informed consent and safe tapering practices. Since its founding in 1969, the organization has worked to expose the risks of psychotropic drugs, with particular focus on children. According to 2020 data, 6.1 million U.S. children and adolescents were prescribed psychiatric drugs. CCHR helped secure laws in multiple states protecting parents' rights to refuse psychiatric drugs for their children—after some parents faced criminal "medical neglect" charges—and played a key role in passing the 2004 federal Prohibition of Mandatory Medication Amendment, which prohibits schools from forcing children to take psychotropic drugs as a condition of attending school.

Jan Eastgate, President of CCHR International, stated: "The HHS announcement is groundbreaking in its potential to reduce the dangerous levels of psychotropic drug reliance in the U.S. This overreliance has contributed to long-term health risks, including diabetes, cardiovascular problems, sexual dysfunction, suicide, and more. Mandating MedGuides provided by prescribing doctors with signed patient acknowledgment would strengthen this vital step toward true informed consent and safer care."

CCHR describes the HHS plan as a pragmatic first step that prioritizes voluntary, individualized care. While it stops short of comprehensive federal standards or broad Medicaid coverage, it opens the door for meaningful progress in protecting patients through greater transparency and holistic approaches.  CCHR will also call on the American Psychiatric Association (APA) at its annual meeting in San Francisco on May 16 to fully support all aspects of the HHS initiative and commit to ending coercive prescribing of psychotropic drugs—a step that would significantly help reduce overall prescription rates.

CCHR is a mental health industry watchdog established in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and Professor Thomas Szasz. CCHR's mission is to eradicate abuses committed in the name of mental health and to promote patient rights.

Sources:

[1] "HHS Launches MAHA Action Plan to Curb Psychiatric Overprescribing," U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 4 May 2026, www.hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-launches-maha-action-plan-curb-psychiatric-overprescribing.html

[2] Rachel Kelly, "Our mental health crisis won't be solved by pills alone," The New Statesman, 31 May 2024, www.newstatesman.com/comment/2024/05/our-mental-health-crisis-wont-be-solved-by-pills-alone

[3] "Users of Antidepressants may suffer due to Doctors not knowing new Research and Guidelines," The European Times, 11 May 2024, europeantimes.news/2024/05/users-of-antidepressants-may-suffer-due-to-doctors-not-knowing-new-research-and-guidelines/