Recently, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced an effort to reduce antidepressant overprescribing across the United States. For people currently taking antidepressants it raises real questions: What does this mean for my care?
What should I do next? And what are my alternatives?
This article breaks down what the new policy announcement actually says, what antidepressant overprescribing means, and what evidence-based alternatives exist, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), Spravato® (esketamine), and ketamine.
What did the federal government announce?
In May 2026, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a federal plan to reduce what his department describes as the “overuse” of psychiatric medications, including antidepressants. The announcement was made at a summit focused on mental health and what Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement calls “overmedicalization.”
“Today, we take clear and decisive action to confront our nation’s mental health crisis by addressing the overuse of psychiatric medications, especially among children,” Kennedy said at the summit. “We will support patient autonomy, require informed consent and shared decision-making, and shift the standard of care toward prevention, transparency and a more holistic approach to mental health.”
The HHS plan includes evaluating prescribing patterns for psychiatric medications, studying their benefits and potential harms, and elevating the role of non-medication treatments, including therapy, dietary changes, family support, and physical activity.
Not all psychiatry experts agree with the framing. The American Psychiatric Association welcomed investment in research and clinical training, but its president, Dr. Theresa Miskimen Rivera, noted that characterizing mental health as primarily a problem of overmedicalization “oversimplifies a very complex, larger issue.”
Many experts also pointed out that access to mental healthcare remains uneven. For many people, the bigger problem is undertreatment, not overtreatment.
What does antidepressant overprescribing mean?
Antidepressant overprescribing can refer to a few different situations:
- Prescribing medication to someone whose symptoms may not require it
- Continuing medication beyond the point where it’s still helpful
- Keeping someone on a drug that isn’t actually working for them
This is a legitimate clinical concern that predates the current political debate. In recent years, the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology published guidelines on when deprescribing may be appropriate. Deprescribing is defined as the careful, supervised process of reducing or stopping a medication.
The key word is “supervised.” Stopping antidepressants on your own, without guidance from your provider, can cause serious side effects or a return of symptoms. If you have questions about your current medication, the right first step is always a conversation with your prescribing clinician.
It’s also worth noting that antidepressants remain FDA-approved as safe and effective treatments for depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and other conditions. The conversation around overprescribing is not a reason to stop medication abruptly or to assume your prescription is wrong. Rather, it’s a call for more individualized, thoughtful care.
Why do antidepressants stop working for some people?
For many people, antidepressants provide meaningful relief. For others, they don’t, and that gap is significant. Research suggests that roughly 30% of people diagnosed with major depressive disorder don’t achieve adequate improvement from antidepressants alone. This is often described as treatment-resistant depression (TRD).
One reason for TRD is that depression doesn’t affect everyone in the same way. Antidepressants work primarily on the serotonin system, but for some people, serotonin isn’t the central driver of their symptoms.
When one medication doesn’t work, another is often tried, but each additional trial carries diminishing returns. Research from the landmark STAR*D study found that the chance of achieving remission drops to just 7% after a fourth round of medication.
This is part of why psychiatry has been moving toward a broader toolkit, one that includes non-medication options alongside or instead of antidepressants.
What alternatives to antidepressants are being recommended?
The HHS announcement points to therapy, lifestyle changes, and family support as part of a more holistic approach to mental health. These can be valuable for many people, particularly those with mild to moderate depression.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), for example, has a strong evidence base and is often used alongside or in place of medication.
But for people with moderate to severe depression, or those who haven’t responded to earlier treatments, therapy and lifestyle changes alone may not be enough. This is where FDA-cleared interventional treatments come in.
The federal push to deemphasize psychiatric medications comes on the heels of an executive order from President Trump directing the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to speed up development and approval of psychedelic treatments. These include psilocybin, the active compound in magic mushrooms, methylone, an MDMA-like molecule, and ibogaine, a naturally occurring psychoactive compound.
How TMS, Spravato, and ketamine fit in
Three treatments that fit squarely within the vision of non-medication care include TMS, Spravato, and ketamine.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive, FDA-cleared treatment that uses targeted magnetic pulses to stimulate areas of the brain involved in mood regulation. It is used to treat major depressive disorder, treatment-resistant depression, depression with anxious thoughts, and OCD.
Spravato® (esketamine) is an FDA-approved nasal spray for adults with treatment-resistant depression and major depressive disorder with suicidal ideation. Unlike traditional antidepressants, which target serotonin, Spravato works on the brain’s glutamate system and can produce relief significantly faster, sometimes within hours or days.
Ketamine is closely related to Spravato and is used off-label to treat a wide range of conditions.
For patients curious about whether their current medication regimen is the right fit, pharmacogenomic testing, a cheek swab that analyzes how your genes may affect your response to psychiatric medications, can also be a useful starting point. It helps take some of the guesswork out of finding the right medication before committing to another trial-and-error cycle.
Concerned about your antidepressants?
If you’ve been reading about antidepressant overprescribing and wondering whether your own treatment plan is right for you, the most important thing is to bring those questions to your provider. Don’t stop or reduce your medication on your own. Doing so can have serious consequences.
A good prescribing clinician will be glad to have an open conversation about how your current treatment is working, whether alternatives are worth exploring, and what a thoughtful transition might look like if a change is appropriate. Shared decision-making, something HHS specifically named in its announcement, is already considered best practice in psychiatry.
If you’re not currently in care, or if you feel like your questions aren’t being heard, it may be time to seek a second opinion or find a provider who specializes in treatment-resistant depression and interventional psychiatry.
Frequently asked questions
What is antidepressant overprescribing?
Antidepressant overprescribing refers to situations where psychiatric medications are prescribed when they may not be needed, aren’t working, or are continued longer than necessary.
Should I stop taking my antidepressants because of the new HHS announcement?
No. Stopping antidepressants abruptly or without medical guidance can cause withdrawal symptoms and a return of your condition. If you have concerns about your medication, the right step is to talk to your prescribing provider.
What non-medication treatments are available for depression?
Several evidence-based, non-medication treatments exist for depression. These include psychotherapy (such as cognitive behavioral therapy), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), Spravato, and ketamine.
Who is a good candidate for TMS or Spravato?
TMS is typically recommended for adults with major depressive disorder or treatment-resistant depression who haven’t responded to at least one antidepressant. Spravato is FDA-approved specifically for treatment-resistant depression and for major depressive disorder with suicidal ideation.
What is treatment-resistant depression?
Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is generally defined as depression that hasn’t improved after at least two adequate trials of antidepressant medication. It affects roughly 30% of people with major depressive disorder.
Looking for mental health care services near you?
Pacific Mind Health offers medication management, therapy, and interventional treatments like transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and ketamine and Spravato (esketamine).
Located in Southern California and serving patients across the state, Pacific Mind Health was founded by Joshua Flatow, MD, a board-certified psychiatrist and published peer-reviewed research author.
Ready to take the next step? Schedule a free consultation and start your mental health journey today.
