BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — A federal push aiming to curb antidepressant prescribing has sparked conversations between local parents and medical professionals who are concerned about what those pullbacks could mean for people, especially those under 18.
“I worry about them. I worry that they may not get the help and support they need, or they may not ask for the help, because they already know there’s this extra barrier,” said Erin Vandermore, a mother and mental health professional in Buncombe County.
As part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ “Make America Healthy Again” movement led by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., this plan is working to drive the deprescribing of psychiatric medications, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, according to a press release.
Vandermore, a mother of two, said she expects more parents will have more difficult conversations with their children surrounding mental health.
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While federal officials said this plan aims to address the overuse of psychiatric medications, Vandermore said she worries that federal limitations could do more than leave fewer mental health treatment options for those under 18 struggling with depression or anxiety.
“Our kids have gone through so much, I mean COVID, and then the hurricane,” Vandermore said. She said she has also been hearing other parents ask, “‘Does this mean I’m not going to be able to get my kid their medication? Are we going to run short? Do I have to look at alternatives? What do I do?’”
Buncombe County child psychiatrist Paul Trombley said there is no one-size-fits-all standard for diagnosing patients with proper treatments.
Trombley, who is triple boarded in pediatrics and child and adult psychiatry, said this could leave gaps in treatment.
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“In my opinion, it would be fairly devastating — it is also the opinion of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry that it would be devastating,” said Trombley, an American Academy of Pediatrics fellow.
He said more medical professionals are worried about what could happen if federal officials gain greater control over how they work with patients.
“What’s very important – and this is something that we do in this clinic – is trying to make sure that we have the right diagnosis so you have the right target and use evidence-based practice and parameters to treat because we actually have the evidence about what works and what doesn’t,” Trombley said.
Throughout June and July, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration will host educational webinars for prescribers and other health professionals. Federal officials said this will help them drive deprescribing and promote nonmedication treatments.
Trombley said federal officials made similar efforts to curb antidepressants in 2004, responding to studies showing a risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children and adolescents with a warning on those medications.
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Trombley said that studies show the “black box warning,” the most severe safety notice required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, alerting healthcare providers and patients to a medication’s serious risks, did not drive down risks of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. However, it did leave one less treatment option for people struggling with their mental health, Trombley said.
Now, parents, including Vandermore, worry that fewer young people will be open about their mental health struggles, preventing them from getting the help they need.
“It just makes it more difficult, as a parent, to have the conversation with your kiddo if there’s so much stigma around it,” Vandermore said.
Federal health officials said they will work with medical professionals to create formal guidelines for this action plan.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with mental health, call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.