LOS ANGELES - Marylandian -- A federal assessment of children's health has identified the widespread prescribing of psychotropic drugs to U.S. youth as a "public crisis" driven by industry profit motives, flawed science, and systemic conflicts of interest. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) found that stimulants, antidepressants, antipsychotics, and anti-anxiety drugs were leading the surge.[1] According to the Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR), a mental health industry watchdog, this is fueling a psychotropic drug market that reaps $22.6 billion annually.

CCHR advised parents to become better informed about the risks of psychotropic drugs, including benzodiazepines or anti-anxiety drugs prescribed to children. CCHR offers a 16-page educational booklet, Psychiatric Drugs & Your Child's Future, and the documentary Dead Wrong, which features bereaved parents who lost children to psychiatric drug effects, especially antidepressants—black box-warned for suicide in 2004, more than 15 years after Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval.

HHS reported that prescriptions for stimulants rose 250% between 2006 and 2016. By 2022, 11% of all children—and nearly 25% of boys—had a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), despite no medical test to confirm the behavioral symptoms. Long-term trials of ADHD drugs show no academic, behavioral, or social benefit beyond 14 months—and a loss of height averaging one inch. Teen use of antidepressants increased 1,400% between 1987 and 2014, and over 2 million prescriptions were written for adolescents in 2022 alone.[2]

Antipsychotic drug use among children grew 800% between 1995 and 2009, with 66% prescribed off-label—including for ADHD and "aggression." Antipsychotics in adolescent boys may cause up to 5x more gynecomastia (male breast growth); 4x more extrapyramidal effects (movement disorders); and 6–8x more weight gain than placebo. Meanwhile, serious side effects—including seizures, cardiac issues, male breast growth, and prolonged withdrawal syndromes—are widely documented.[3]

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CCHR, which has tracked what it calls mass-prescribed drug child abuse since its founding in 1969, said the situation is even more dire than the HHS report reveals. Using data from IQVia's Total Patient Tracker Database for 2020, CCHR found:

• 3.1 million 0–17-year-olds were prescribed ADHD stimulants,
• 2.15 million were on antidepressants,
• 1.15 million were taking anti-anxiety drugs, including highly addictive benzodiazepines, and
• 829,372 were prescribed antipsychotics known to cause neurological damage.[4]

Combined, over 6.1 million children and teens were drugged—representing more than 8.2% of the U.S. youth population.[5]

Psychotropic polypharmacy is especially prevalent among youth covered by Medicaid. A 2024 study found a rise in multiple drug use in this group, increasing the risk of adverse medical outcomes. Researchers reviewed 126,972 Medicaid recipients who had received at least one psychotropic drug and had continuous coverage for 90+ days. The prevalence of polypharmacy rose from 4.2% in 2015 to 4.6% in 2020, with higher rates among those in foster care (10.8% to 11.3%), the Children's Health Program (2.2% to 2.8%), and low-income households (2.1% to 2.8%).[6]

The problem is exacerbated by drug misuse. In 2018, almost 16% of U.S. college students said they misused prescription stimulants.[7] A 2023 survey of college students who reported using prescription stimulants revealed that about 21.7% had taken a higher-than-prescribed dose in the past three months.[8] Many students mistakenly believe one ADHD stimulant to be no more harmful than coffee, assuming it is safe because it's prescribed by doctors.[9]

Youth drug overdoses on prescription drugs is also a serious risk. In 2019, 4,777 U.S. youth died from drug overdoses; 727 involved benzodiazepines and 902 involved psychostimulants. In 2020, 2,928 nonfatal benzodiazepine overdoses were reported among youth aged 15 to 24. Among these, 29% had a prescription in the previous month and 42% within six months. Intentional overdoses were more likely among those with recent prescriptions. Fifty-six percent of benzodiazepine overdoses were intentional compared with 40% of stimulant overdoses.[10]

The FDA issued a black box warning in 2020 for benzodiazepines, citing "risks of abuse, misuse, and addiction, which can lead to overdose or death."[11]

A 2022 study in Pediatrics found that a quarter of insured teens who overdosed on anxiety or ADHD drugs had received a recent prescription.[12]

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HHS linked the rise in drug use to broadened diagnostic criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), expanded in 2013 by panels with financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry. This contributed to a 40-fold increase in childhood diagnoses such as ADHD and bipolar disorder. Yet, no psychiatric-defined disorder meets the scientific definition of a disease. Former U.S. National Institute of Mental Health Director Thomas Insel stated: "Unlike our definitions of ischemic heart disease, lymphoma, or AIDS, the DSM diagnoses are based on a consensus about clusters of clinical symptoms, not any objective laboratory measure."[13]

CCHR, established in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and professor of psychiatry, Dr. Thomas Szasz, has achieved significant reforms in this area, including a 2004 federal law prohibiting schools from forcing students onto psychotropic drugs as a requisite for their education. Jan Eastgate, president of CCHR International, said: "Profit-driven psychiatry is putting children at risk with no science to justify diagnoses or drugs." CCHR stresses that the nation's child mental health system requires a complete overhaul—eliminating treatments that expose children to suicide, addiction, physical harm, and institutional profiteering.

Sources:

[1] "Making Our Children Healthy Again," Make America Healthy Again Commission, 22 May 2025, p. 54

[2] "Making Our Children Healthy Again," pp. 16-17

[3] "Making Our Children Healthy Again," pp. 54-56

[4] www.cchrint.org/psychiatric-drugs/children-on-psychiatric-drugs/

[5] www.childstats.gov/AMERICASCHILDREN/tables/pop1.asp

[6] "Psychotropic Polypharmacy Trends Rise Among Child, Adolescent Medicaid Beneficiaries," Psychiatric Times, 21 May 2024

[7] news.osu.edu/misuse-of-stimulants-remains-a-top-concern-on-college-campuses/

[8] www.statista.com/statistics/1125729/us-college-student-prescription-stimulant-overuse/

[9] "Are You Surprised By the 4 Most Abused Study Drugs?" Detox.com, 28 Feb. 2018

[10] www.clinicaladvisor.com/news/teens-overdosing-prescribed-anxiety-adhd-medications/; pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9097826/

[11] www.cchrint.org/2023/08/30/mental-health-watchdog-highlights-global-benzodiazepine-risks/; "FDA requiring Boxed Warning updated to improve safe use of benzodiazepine drug class. Includes potential for abuse, addiction, and other serious risks," FDA, 23 Sept. 2020

[12] publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/149/4/e2021055226/185226/Benzodiazepine-and-Stimulant-Prescriptions-Before

[13] "The NIMH Withdraws Support for DSM-5," Psychology Today, 4 May 2003