New Guidance Released on Psychotropic Medication Deprescribing

Consensus statement details when and how to safely stop psychiatric drugs

Published on Feb. 25, 2026

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A new consensus statement from the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology provides guidance on when and how to safely deprescribe psychotropic medications. The statement recommends periodic review of medication regimens to ensure treatments target relevant symptoms and have a favorable risk-benefit profile. Deprescribing may be indicated for reasons like successful completion of treatment, lack of efficacy, drug misuse, or diagnostic changes, and should involve close monitoring and shared decision-making with patients.

Why it matters

Deprescribing psychotropic medications is an important but often overlooked aspect of psychiatric care. This guidance aims to help clinicians navigate the complex process of safely stopping medications, which is crucial given the chronic, recurrent nature of many mental health conditions and the potential for incomplete treatment response.

The details

The ASCP task force achieved consensus on 44 of 50 Delphi statements, agreeing that medication regimens should undergo periodic review to ensure treatments target relevant symptoms and have a favorable risk-benefit ratio. Key points include that deprescribing should not occur before assessing medication adherence, should be considered if there is less than a partial therapeutic response or treatment goals have been reached, and should involve active patient participation in shared decision-making. The panel also discussed the psychological ramifications of deprescribing and the need for close clinical monitoring.

  • The ASCP task force developed and completed the Delphi survey and literature review between January and May of 2025.

The players

Joseph F. Goldberg

A member of the ASCP task force and a psychiatrist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

Jonathan E. Alpert

A psychiatrist at the Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York, who wrote a commentary on the consensus statement.

American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology (ASCP)

The organization that convened the task force to develop the new consensus statement on psychotropic medication deprescribing.

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What they’re saying

“As many psychiatric disorders are chronic, recurrent, frequently comorbid, and often incompletely responsive to appropriate pharmacotherapy, little guidance exists to help clinicians navigate decisions about eliminating medications that warrant discontinuation.”

— Joseph F. Goldberg, Psychiatrist, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (JAMA Network Open)

“The consensus statement brings discontinuation closer to the foreground of psychopharmacological practice and research, where it arguably belongs.”

— Jonathan E. Alpert, Psychiatrist, Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine (JAMA Network Open)

What’s next

The ASCP task force plans to continue refining the guidance and exploring additional aspects of psychotropic medication deprescribing through further research and consensus-building efforts.

The takeaway

This new consensus statement provides a valuable framework to help clinicians make thoughtful, evidence-based decisions about when and how to safely discontinue psychotropic medications, an important but often overlooked aspect of psychiatric care.