Healthcare providers in Washington who care for children are gearing up for shifts following the establishment of a new commission by President Donald Trump’s administration aimed at examining psychiatric medication.
The White House issued an executive order to establish the “Make America Healthy Again Commission,” led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. This order aims to enhance children’s health and prevent chronic illness by reviewing psychiatric medication use.
The directive has raised concerns over the accessibility of drugs prescribed to treat anxiety, depression, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. Among the new commission’s priorities is examining how physicians prescribe medications such as antipsychotics, stimulants, and SSRIs. As much as these drugs have side effects, they are sometimes a necessity for children grappling with severe anxiety, suicidal tendencies, and other major mental disorders.
A few physicians in Washington agree that monitoring prescription practices is essential since there are valid doubts about overprescribing. They fear, though, that a federal directive will be detrimental to the confidence among doctors, patients, and their families.
Dr. Lelach Rave, Washington Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics interim executive director, explained, “Any parent who has a child who’s depressed, anxious or psychotic knows how frightening it is. Untreated illness can cause long-term harm.” He added, “While it is important to consider the risks of medication and risks of not treating the illness are very real.”
Over the weekend, apprehensions rapidly spread on social media that the Trump administration planned to limit access to all psychiatric medications. But the executive order, which is thus far only focused on children’s medication and not adults’, simply calls for a report to be submitted rather than acting forthwith.
The new commission must submit a preliminary report within 100 days of the directive containing an evaluation of how widespread and dangerous prescribing these types of drugs like stimulants, weight-loss medications, mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, and SSRIs. The commission must submit a plan with proposals for the federal government within 80 more days.
Any change in the prescribing of medications would have a big effect. As a point of reference, the order refers to medications for attention deficit disorder (ADD) and ADHD. According to the order, more than 3.4 million children are prescribed medication for ADHD or ADD.
Overview of Medications and How They Work
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, are antidepressant medications that are commonly prescribed to alleviate anxiety and depression. Some common SSRIs include Lexapro (escitalopram), Zoloft (sertraline), and Prozac (fluoxetine). They achieve this by increasing the amount of serotonin in the brain, which boosts mood and other body functions.
Antipsychotics are used in the treatment of mood disorders like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Antipsychotics regulate dopamine and serotonin levels to manage psychosis, including delusions and hallucinations that cause an individual to become detached from reality.
Stimulants like Adderall and Ritalin are often prescribed to people with ADD or ADHD. Stimulants help improve attention and manage impulses by raising the levels of brain chemicals like norepinephrine and dopamine.
The executive order also includes mood stabilizers and anti-obesity medications.
The Risks for Children Unable to Access Essential Medications
The impact of this directive on adolescents and children may be significant, especially in the context of the rising youth mental health crisis experienced in recent years.
Summer Starr, the interim director of Washington State’s National Alliance on Mental Illness chapter, said the order is troubling on the issue of mental health parity, which mandates insurers to treat mental health treatment as comprehensively as they cover physical care.
Reference: Furfaro H, Ramakrishnan J, Blatchford T. RFK Jr. Trump’s new commission targets mental health medication. Seattle Times. Updated February 19, 2025. Accessed February 20, 2025. https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/mental-health/rfk-jr-and-trumps-new-commission-targets-mental-health-medication/
