New Florida rules advise against drugs for depression, anxiety for kids

Florida’s newest guidelines warn against prescribing psychotropic medications for children, echoing the Make America Healthy Again movement’s push to change how childhood mental health conditions are treated.

On Friday, the Florida Department of Health issued guidance on psychotropic pharmacotherapy for children ages 5 to 17, recommending against using medications to treat conditions such as depression, anxiety and attention-deficit disorders in most cases.

Two months earlier, at a Make America Healthy Again summit in Washington, D.C., Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the agency would address what it views as the overuse of psychiatric medications among children.

Florida’s new guidance reflects that approach.

“As more families seek support for conditions such as anxiety, depression, and attention-deficit disorders, treatment should be guided by a thorough understanding of each child’s unique circumstances and needs,” State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo said Friday in Orange County. “Parents deserve access to clear information about the benefits, risks, and available alternatives so they can make informed decisions regarding their children’s health.”

It is the latest example of Florida embracing Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again, or MAHA, agenda.

Over the past year, First Lady Casey DeSantis and Ladapo have traveled the state promoting the Healthy Florida First initiative, which focuses on testing food for toxins and heavy metals.

A more controversial proposal included Ladapo’s call for the Legislature to repeal all vaccine mandates and Gov. Ron DeSantis’ push for pediatricians to accept all patients regardless of vaccination status. Lawmakers did not approve either proposal during this year’s legislative session.

In the new guidance, the Department of Health cautions health care providers about prescribing psychotropic medications for anxiety, depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and behavioral disorders.

Instead, the state recommends strategies such as psychotherapy, evidence-based behavior management and deprescribing medications when appropriate.

“Psychotropic medications can play an important role in treatment when they are clinically appropriate and medically necessary, but they should never be used as a substitute for individual therapy and other psychosocial care options,” Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Shevaun Harris said in a statement.

Responding to the federal MAHA report in May, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry said it believed the agency’s position “broadly and imprecisely challenges established psychiatric diagnoses and evidence-based treatments,” creating risks for children and families.

“AACAP urges policymakers to ensure that decisions affecting access to psychiatric medications and mental health services are grounded in evidence and informed by child and adolescent psychiatrists and other qualified clinicians,” said Dr. John Walkup, the organization’s president.

The Florida chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry could not be reached for comment.

A Department of Health spokesperson said the state’s guidance does not conflict with AACAP recommendations and is intended to raise awareness.

“The Department’s guidance emphasizes the importance of comprehensive assessment before psychotropic medications are prescribed, including evaluating underlying risk factors and ensuring appropriate clinical oversight,” deputy communications director Nathalia Medina said.