RFK Jr. and Psych Med Overprescribing: A Disruption to the Mental Health Industry

Let's start with a hard truth: if you were handed a psychiatric prescription after a rushed appointment and never told about withdrawal, tapering challenges, long-term risks, or alternative treatments, you didn't receive informed consent.

I know that's a bold statement, but it's one worth sitting with.

Recently, a federal action plan announced efforts to reduce psychiatric overprescribing and increase informed consent through shared decision-making, regular medication reviews, and greater use of approaches like therapy, nutrition, and movement. On paper, that sounds like progress. But here's my question: why are we celebrating standards that should have been there all along?

On this episode of The Gaslit Truth Podcast, Dr. Teralyn Sell and I discuss what happens when ethics collide with a healthcare system that doesn't fund time. Meaningful conversations about risks, benefits, alternatives, and patient choice take time. Most prescribers are trying to fit all of that into appointments that in the US last less than 15 minutes.

We also talk about a gap that isn't getting enough attention. Therapists, counselors, and social workers are increasingly being viewed as part of the solution, yet most of us received little to no training in psychopharmacology, medication tapering, or psychiatric withdrawal. That's a problem for clinicians and patients alike.

This isn't about being anti-medication. It's about being pro-informed consent. People deserve honest information before they start treatment, not years later when they're struggling to come off a medication they never fully understood. And therapists…you need to be ready for the fallout because YOU ARE the default gatekeepers.

If you're a clinician, a family member, or someone navigating your own mental health journey, this conversation may challenge what you've been told. More importantly, it may help you ask better questions.

Because informed consent shouldn't be revolutionary. It should be the standard.