Florida’s newest guidelines warn against prescribing psychotropic medications for children, echoing the Make America Healthy Again movement’s push to impose changes on childhood health care.
On Friday the Florida Department of Health issued guidance for psychotropic pharmacotherapy in children 5 to 17, recommending against the use of drugs to treat mental health conditions like depression, anxiety or attention-deficit related disorders in most cases.
Two months prior, at a Make America Healthy Again summit in Washington, D.C., Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said the agency would address the overuse of psychiatric medications among children.
Florida’s guidance follows suit.
“As more families seek support for conditions such as anxiety, depression, and attention-deficit disorders, treatment should be guided by a thorough understanding of each child’s unique circumstances and needs,” State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo said in Orange County on Friday. “Parents deserve access to clear information about the benefits, risks, and available alternatives so they can make informed decisions regarding their children’s health.”
It’s the latest instance of Florida channeling Kennedy’s MAHA agenda.
In the last year, First Lady Casey DeSantis and Ladapo have toured the state promoting the Healthy Florida First initiative, which tests for toxins and heavy metals in food.
A more controversial proposal was Ladapo’s call for the Legislature to repeal all vaccine mandates, and DeSantis’ push for pediatricians to accept all patients regardless of vaccination status. Lawmakers didn’t pass either plan in the legislative session earlier this year.
In the state’s new guidance statement, the DOH “cautions” health care providers in prescribing psychotropic medications for anxiety, depression, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and behavioral disorders.
Instead, the state recommends employing other strategies, including psychotherapy, evidence-based behavior management and deprescribing medications.
“Psychotropic medications can play an important role in treatment when they are clinically appropriate and medically necessary, but they should never be used as a substitute for individual therapy and other psychosocial care options,” said Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Shevaun Harris in a released statement.
In response to HHS in May, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) said the agency’s statement “broadly and imprecisely challenges established psychiatric diagnoses and evidence‑based treatments,” creating risk for children and families.
“AACAP urges policymakers to ensure that decisions affecting access to psychiatric medications and mental health services are grounded in evidence and informed by child and adolescent psychiatrists and other qualified clinicians,” said Dr. John Walkup, AACAP president.
The Florida chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the AACAP could not be reached for comment.
A spokesperson for DOH said the state’s guidelines do not contradict the AACAP’s recommendation and are intended to raise awareness.
“The Department’s guidance emphasizes the importance of comprehensive assessment before psychotropic medications are prescribed, including evaluating underlying risk factors and ensuring appropriate clinical oversight,” said Nathalia Medina, deputy director of communications.
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