My policy on medications

If patients need psychotropic medications [anti-depressants, anti-anxiety medications, anti-psychotic medications] I refer them to a psychiatrist or pediatric psychiatrist as needed. I have a very conservative view on medication and believe that as little medication as possible should be used, though I respect patients’ abilities to make these choices. I am particularly concerned with excessive prescribing of medications to children for ADHD and bipolar disorder and I work with parents, to reduce or eliminate medications wherever possible. Interested parents may wish to read a chapter I published recently on the problems with over-medicating children. Here is the link:

O’Loughlin, M. (2012). Countering the rush to medication: Psychodynamic, intergenerational, and cultural considerations in understanding children’s distress. In U.S. Nayar (Ed.). International Handbook on Mental Health of Children and Adolescents: Culture, Policy & Practices. Delhi, India: Sage.