CriticalThinkRx:
- Offers a prescription for critical thinking about psychotropic medications and a more balanced evaluation of the “prescription situation” based on ethical codes of practice of medical and non-medical helping professions.
- Aims to sharpen critical skills of mental health and child welfare professionals assessing and practicing with children and adolescents who may be medicated with psychiatric drugs.
- Tries to close gaps between research and practice to maximize opportunities to help clients and avoid harm
- Emphasizes the ethical dictate: “First, do no harm” and recommends:
- Use of psychotropic medications that have been reported to have serious adverse effects in children – including death – should be halted as first-line interventions until research demonstrates that both short- and long-term benefits outweigh the already known risks.
- Psychosocial interventions for children’s behavioral problems have been empirically-validated and should be implemented as first-line interventions.
All investigators and consultants have agreed to forego pharmaceutical industry funding for the entire duration of this project in order to reduce financial conflicts of interest.
