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A Message from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. - Chairman on Leave
December 16, 2023

CHD TN Provides Comment on Psychotropic Drugs

On December 12, following a mandatory quarterly report by the Department of Children’s Services to the Government Operations Join Subcommittee on Education, Health, and General Welfare, Bernadette Pajer of the TN Chapter of Children’s Health Defense provided important data about psychotropic drug prescriptions for minors in TN on Medicaid.

The next day, following the Department of Corrections Performance Audit Report before the Government Operations Joint Subcommittee on Judiciary and Government, Bernadette again provided comment, thanking Representative Ragan for his request of the Department of Corrections to provide data on the use of prescription psychotropic drugs by inmates in TN correctional facilities and explaining the importance of the data.

The TN Chapter of CHD, working with CHD’s Reform Pharma team, have begun educating members of the General Assembly on the highly concerning continued rise in psychotropic drug prescriptions and their dangers. The response has been positive, with many expressing their own concerns, and their appreciation for the information that will help them make informed decisions on behalf of Tennesseans.

TRANSCRIPTS & VIDEOS OF COMMENTS

Regarding Department of Children’s Services

Public Comment to GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS JOINT SUBCOMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, HEALTH, AND GENERAL WELFARE — TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2023 – 1:00 P.M.

My name is Bernadette Pajer. I am with the TN Chapter of Children’s Health Defense. Our mission is to end childhood health epidemics by working to eliminate harmful exposures, hold those responsible accountable and establish safeguards to prevent future harm.

One of the harmful exposures impacting children’s health today are psychotropic drugs prescribed to children diagnosed with ADHD, depression, anxiety, and more.

Psychotropic drugs come with FDA black box warnings for suicidal and homicidal ideation, increased agitation, impaired cognitive ability, aggressive behavior, mania, and a host of other neurological and physical side effects. These drugs have no easy “off-ramps”. Getting off of them them can be as dangerous as taking them.

As the Committee tasked with the oversight of Department of Children’s Services, you are entrusted with this state’s most precious resource – our children. I have watched several of your meetings regarding DCS and I see that you take this responsibility very seriously. The children who find themselves in DCS custody are our most vulnerable, our most fragile, and you understand that in attempting to help them, the state must not make their lives worse.

Through a recent Freedom of Information Act request, the Citizens Commission on Human Rights International, obtained information from the Tennessee Family and Social Services Administration on how many children are being prescribed psychotropic drugs through the state’s Medicaid program.

The statistics reveal that in 2021 just for kids on Medicaid in TN:

94,058 children aged 0-17 years were prescribed psychotropic drugs, which include antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs, stimulants, antipsychotics, and mood stabilizers. Of these, 11,453 of the children were aged 0-5.

35% of children in foster care filled a prescription for psychotropic medication as compared to 8% of non-foster children in Medicaid.

While we do want to ensure children in the state’s care struggling with issues get the help they need, psychotropic drugs are not a substitute for counseling or the guidance of a caring adult, the drugs do not solve mood and behavior issues driven by malnutrition or exposure to environmental toxins. The drugs don’t help a frightened or abused child feel safe. But FDA Black Box warning drugs are a major driver of disturbing behaviors, some of which could end a child’s life, or the life of others.

I ask that this committee do a thorough investigation into the role psychotropic drugs are playing in the increase of mental health disorders in TN, especially in our DCS children, so that we do not inadvertently drive increased use of black box warning drugs and their devastating consequences.

Thank you.

Regarding Department of Correction

Public Comment to GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS JOINT SUBCOMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY AND GOVERNMENT — WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2023 – 9:00 A.M.

My name is Bernadette Pajer and I’m with the Tennessee Chapter of Children’s Health Defense. I want to thank Chair Ragan for requesting data on the use of psychotropic drugs in our prison population. These drugs come Black Box warnings that they can increase the risk of suicidal and homicidal ideation, aggression, and so much more.

There’s a popular saying right now that someone who commits a violent crime must be “off their meds” but in reality when you examine the data you find that the worst offenses are done by people who are “on their meds.”

When a person has served their time and reenters the community, if we’re launching them out there “on their meds”, what does that mean? Does that increase recidivism rates? How can that help rehabilitation? These meds are very dangerous, and they’re very difficult to get off of, there’s no easy “off-ramp” to wean yourself off of these drugs.

So I thank you all for this consideration, for gathering this very important data, so we can look to see what sort of reforms in the prison system we can do to make sure when they leave and reenter society, they’re as healthy as they can be and not potentially being driven by very dangerous Black Box warning drugs.

Thank you.

References

Negative Effects of Antipsychotic Medication https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6864560/ Please also see each product insert with specific warnings and adverse reactions.