President Trump issued an Executive Order yesterday establishing a commission on health to address childhood disease—in part by putting psychotropic treatments for youth under scrutiny.
The order comes as Congress is considering significant cuts to the Medicaid program, which along with the State Children’s Health Insurance Program provides health care—including mental health care—to as many as half of the nation’s children.
“Overall, the global comparison data demonstrates that the health of Americans is on an alarming trajectory that requires immediate action,” according to the order. “This concern applies urgently to America’s children.”
The executive order details that nearly 41% of children have at least one childhood health condition such as allergies or asthma, while autism spectrum disorder now affects 1 in 36 children. The order also noted elevated rates of diseases among adolescents and young adults, including fatty liver (18%), prediabetes (30%), and overweight or obesity (40%). “These health burdens have continued to increase alongside the increased prescription of medication,” according to the order.
The order establishes the “Make America Healthy Again” Commission, to be chaired by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which must complete a study of “the childhood chronic disease crisis” within 100 days and a strategy to respond to it within 180 days. Among the instructions to the commission are to “assess the prevalence of and threat posed by the prescription of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, stimulants, and weight-loss drugs.”
In a message sent to APA members in response to the executive order today, APA CEO and Medical Director Marketa Wills, M.D., M.B.A., wrote: “We know from the evidence and from our own clinical practice that the psychiatric drugs mentioned in the order when prescribed and used as directed by properly trained psychiatrists are safe, effective, and in some cases, lifesaving. APA stands for evidence-based science and will protect the treatments and practices that are so vital to many children and adolescents suffering from mental and substance use disorders.”
Gabrielle L. Shapiro, M.D., secretary of the APA Board of Trustees and a general, child, and adolescent psychiatrist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, agreed. “There are children who need psychotropic medication and benefit from it,” Shapiro told Psychiatric News. “Child and adolescent psychiatrists are the best, most well-trained clinicians to treat these mental health concerns.”
(Image: Getty Images/iStock/Douglas Rissing)
Advocacy Alert: Protect Critical NIH Research Funding
On February 7th, the Trump administration announced a new policy to cap facilities and administration costs associated with National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants at 15%. This cap could significantly hinder vital biomedical research across the country, including research aimed at developing effective treatments and prevention strategies for mental health and substance use disorders. The courts have issued a pause on the administration’s plan, but your elected officials need to hear from you!