Ep. #99 Overmedication, Kids’ Mental Health & Integrated Care

On the Integrated Care Podcast, host Grace Pratt and co-hosts Jen Thomas, Deepu George, Monica Williams, Neftali Serrano, and Ashley Garrison welcome child and adolescent psychiatrist (and former pediatrician) Dr. Mary Dobbins to discuss an HHS announcement, highlighted at a May 4 summit with the Maha Institute, about reducing over-prescribing of psychiatric medications and supporting alternatives. The panel explores mixed reactions: agreement that de-prescribing and holistic supports matter, but concern that the messaging can fuel mistrust, stigma, and fear-mongering, and that proposed solutions lack practical infrastructure for psychotherapy, family support, and nutrition. Dobbins emphasizes that most childhood mental health problems are experiential, often tied to trauma, poverty, and social stressors, and argues for relational, trauma-informed, team-based care alongside appropriate medication use. The episode closes with a Mary Oliver reading about teaching children.