![\"State](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/MIA_MIAMI-DADEFLUORIDEVOTEAS207.JPG\" "\\"State")
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
State Surgeon General of Florida Joseph A. Ladapo<\/p>\n
Alie Skowronski<\/p>\n
askowronski@miamiherald.com<\/p>\n
TALLAHASSEE<\/p>\n
Florida\u2019s newest guidelines warn against prescribing psychotropic medications for children, echoing the Make America Healthy Again movement\u2019s push to impose changes on childhood healthcare.<\/p>\n
On Friday, the Florida Department of Health issued guidance for psychotropic pharmacotherapy in children 5 to 17, recommending against the use of drugs to treat mental health conditions like depression, anxiety or attention-deficit related disorders in most cases.<\/p>\n
Two months prior, 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 the overuse of psychiatric medications among children.<\/p>\n
Florida\u2019s guidance follows suit.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs 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\u2019s unique circumstances and needs,\u201d State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo said in Orange County on Friday. \u201cParents deserve access to clear information about the benefits, risks, and available alternatives so they can make informed decisions regarding their children\u2019s health.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the latest instance of Florida channeling Kennedy\u2019s MAHA agenda.<\/p>\n
In the last year, first lady Casey DeSantis and Ladapo have toured the state promoting the Healthy Florida First initiative, which tests for toxins and heavy metals in food.<\/p>\n
A more controversial proposal was Ladapo\u2019s call for the Legislature to repeal all vaccine mandates and DeSantis\u2019 push for pediatricians to accept all patients regardless of vaccination status. Lawmakers didn\u2019t pass either plan in the legislative session earlier this year.<\/p>\n
In the state\u2019s new guidance statement, the DOH \u201ccautions\u201d healthcare providers in prescribing psychotropic medications for anxiety, depression, attention deficit\/hyperactivity disorder and behavioral disorders.<\/p>\n
Instead, the state recommends employing other strategies, including psychotherapy, evidence-based behavior management and de-prescribing medications.<\/p>\n
\u201cPsychotropic 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,\u201d said Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Shevaun Harris in a released statement.<\/p>\n
In response to HHS in May, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) said the agency\u2019s statement \u201cbroadly and imprecisely challenges established psychiatric diagnoses and evidence\u2011based treatments,\u201d creating risk for children and families.<\/p>\n
\u201cAACAP 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,\u201d said Dr. John Walkup, AACAP president.<\/p>\n
The Florida chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the AACAP could not be reached for comment.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for DOH said the state\u2019s guidelines do not contradict the AACAP\u2019s recommendation and are intended to raise awareness.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Department\u2019s guidance emphasizes the importance of comprehensive assessment before psychotropic medications are prescribed, including evaluating underlying risk factors and ensuring appropriate clinical oversight,\u201d said Nathalia Medina, deputy director of communications.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"State Surgeon General of Florida Joseph A. Ladapo Alie Skowronski askowronski@miamiherald.com TALLAHASSEE Florida\u2019s newest guidelines warn against prescribing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":716390,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[102,6591,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-716389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-medication","tag-health","tag-medication","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/716389","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=716389"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/716389\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/716390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=716389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=716389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=716389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}