CCHR Warns: Millions of Children Exposed to Risky Psychiatric DrugsWatchdog group urges sweeping reforms after HHS exposes mass drugging, industry ties, and diagnostic inflation behind youth psychiatric drug prescriptions.
Child Psychotropic Drug Crisis 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— 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." 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:
Combined, over 6.1 million children and teens were drugged—representing more than 8.2% of the U.S. youth population.[ 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.[ 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.[ 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- 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/ [5] www.childstats.gov/ [6] "Psychotropic Polypharmacy Trends Rise Among Child, Adolescent Medicaid Beneficiaries," [7] news.osu.edu/ [8] www.statista.com/ [9] "Are You Surprised By the 4 Most Abused Study Drugs?" Detox.com, 28 Feb. 2018 [10] www.clinicaladvisor.com/ [11] www.cchrint.org/ [12] publications.aap.org/ [13] "The NIMH Withdraws Support for DSM-5," Psychology Today, 4 May 2003 End
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