Psychiatric Deprescribing: The Need for Nuanced Approaches

On May 4, 2026, at a MAHA Institute summit on mental health, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced plans to curb “psychiatric overprescribing.”^1,2 HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. stated it was time “to confront our nation’s mental health crisis by addressing the overuse of psychiatric medications—especially among children.”¹

Joseph F. Goldberg, MD, is an advocate for the practice of deprescribing, a complicated topic, as he shared in his May 2025 cover story for Psychiatric Times.³ However, Goldberg believes the focus should be on psychiatrists and mental health clinicians stopping ineffective medications and considering alternative treatments thoughtfully, not a trend of supposed inappropriate prescribing.

Only 1 in 5 patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) receive adequate care, and the medications are not as dramatically helpful in reducing symptoms as we might hope, shared Goldberg. This problem is exacerbated by a lack of knowledge about emerging treatments and novel strategies.

Goldberg believes the HHS statements did not provide enough clarity on how to appropriately deprescribe, namely to not only stop use of the medication but to try something else instead. They were, however, helpful in recommending valuable, evidence-based nonpharmacologic options for MDD. Goldberg recommends clinicians keep in mind:

• The patient’s unique circumstances
• The patient’s candidacy for alternative treatments
• If a medicine is not helping, devise a plan for stopping and replacing it

This curation of treatment is what good psychiatric care has always looked like, shared Goldberg.

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. HHS launches MAHA action plan to curb psychiatric overprescribing. HHS. News release. May 4, 2026. Accessed May 5, 2026. https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-launches-maha-action-plan-curb-psychiatric-overprescribing.html

2. Kuntz L. HHS launches action plan to promote “appropriate psychiatric prescribing.” Psychiatric Times. May 5, 2026. https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/hhs-launches-action-plan-to-promote-appropriate-psychiatric-prescribing

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