Children’s mental health has recently dominated U.S. headlines. Some commentators have blamed psychiatric medications, sparked by RFK Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) flawed report and its now-criticized use of non-existent sources. Others pointed to social media and technology addiction as the real threat.
Leading psychiatrists and medical experts from the U.K. say both arguments miss the mark. Several professionals argue that overmedication is not caused by medicine or screens—instead it is driven by a suboptimal system. Examples include: Short appointments, limited access to therapy, and slow regulatory approval for non-drug treatments. These are factors that are leaving some patients behind.
Dr. Hannah Nearney, Psychiatrist and Founder of Anchor Psychiatry Group / Flow Neuroscience has told Digital Journal: “We shouldn’t add to the panic—medication is not causing the mental health crisis as it’s often portrayed. Overmedication happens when the system fails—not because the science is wrong, but because the way we manage and deliver care is flawed. Blaming the medicine distracts from the real issue: people aren’t getting the time, attention, or access to the range of therapies they need.”
In May, the U.S. CDC revealed that more than 1 in 10 adults take antidepressants. Despite that, the prevalence of depression among the U.S. population has increased by 60% in the past decade.
According to Nearney , in the U.S. psychiatry system, prescribing two or more medications at once is common. The duration of use is also problematic—the average U.S. patient remains on antidepressants for 5 years, while clinical trials for such typically last 8 weeks.
“Patients may be prescribed multiple drugs at once in a bid to improve their symptoms, or to alleviate side effects from the initial medications,” Nearney continues, adding: “Whilst in some cases this can be clinically appropriate, this runs a greater side-effect burden risk for the patient to bear and we still know far too little about the effects of combining psychotropic medications in the long term.”
There are several concerns about the negative effects of psychiatric overmedication, Nearney observes: “Overmedication is a problem not only because the root cause of the illness remains unaddressed, but because patients may experience side effects—from common chronic fatigue, weight gain, and sexual dysfunction to severe cases of serotonin syndrome, neurological disorders, and years of dependence or withdrawal symptoms.
Nearney notes that many also suffer due to misdiagnosis, as the U.S. healthcare system incentivizes short, high-volume appointments due to insurance reimbursement models and staffing shortages, with psychiatric consultations lasting 15 to 20 minutes on average.
“It is rarely enough time to understand a patient’s full psychological and social context. In such circumstances, psychiatrists are often pressured to prioritize quick symptom management over complex long-term treatment,” Nearney surmises.
As an example, treating depression with medications alone may not be effective for several reasons. In fact, up to 30% of depression cases fail to respond to at least two antidepressants, highlighting the need for alternative therapies. In those cases, healthcare professionals use evidence-based tools like cognitive behavioural therapy, light therapy in cases of seasonal depression, neuromodulation techniques, and prescribe patients a healthy diet, sleep hygiene, and physical activity if applicable.
In terms of neuromodulation techniques, Nearney calls out tDCS as an effective, convenient, and well-tolerated neuromodulation treatment used in many countries (including the UK)—yet despite strong evidence, it still faces a lengthy wait for FDA approval.
In contrast to drug-free devices, counselling is a standard and approved way to treat depression. However, less than 40% of the U.S. adolescents and adults with such a condition receive therapy from a mental health professional due to the flaws in the country’s healthcare system, Nearney concludes.
