Deprescribing: Recommendations From the ASCP Task Force

When should psychiatrists and mental health clinicians consider deprescribing psychotropic medications?

For the May 2025 cover of Psychiatric Times, Joseph F. Goldberg, MD, wrote about the critical practice of deprescribing, or the intentional discontinuation of inappropriate medications that reflects a thoughtful reassessment of treatment plans.¹ According to Goldberg, “inappropriateness” might characterize the use of medications with potentially duplicative mechanisms of action, or, it might be when continued prescribing runs counter to an intended therapeutic goal. The term, while controversial in psychiatry, ultimately urges clinicians to prioritize patient outcomes.

Now, the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology (ASCP) has released a consensus statement containing recommendations for the deprescribing of psychotropic medications in JAMA Network Open.² The 45-member international task force undertook a Delphi survey and selective literature review to identify clinical situations favoring psychotropic drug deprescribing. They came to the conclusion that deprescribing should be considered when “benefits are absent or risks outweigh benefits; after assuring adequate adherence and trials; and psychosocial ramifications of medication cessation are considered.”² Additionally, a patient’s pharmacotherapy regimen should undergo periodic review to ensure that treatments target relevant symptoms and have favorable risk-benefit ratios. You can read the full consensus statement here.

A forthcoming follow-up article will be released soon.

Dr Goldberg is a clinical professor of psychiatry at The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, NY and the immediate-past president of the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology.

References

1. Goldberg JF. Deprescribing: does the term belong in the psychiatric lexicon? Psychiatric Times. 2025;42(5).

2. Goldberg JF, McIntyre RS, Swartz HA, et al. Recommendations for the deprescribing of psychotropic medications: a consensus statement from the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology task force. JAMA Netw Open. 2026;9(2):e260043.