About Us

Mainstream mental health practice subscribes to a “medical” model supporting medication of children with psychotropic drugs as a first resort without well-established evidence of safety or efficacy. Conflicts of interest in the psychiatric drug treatment and research enterprise blur boundaries between marketing and science, adding to the complexities of non-medical professionals’ involvement with clients on medication.

CriticalThinkRx offers an alternative perspective based on empirical evidence to stimulate “critical thinking” and a more balanced evaluation of the “prescription situation” based on ethical codes of practice of medical and non-medical helping professions. The curriculum 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.

CriticalThinkRx, funded at Florida International University, is the only project funded by the State Attorneys General Consumer and Prescriber Grant Program targeting non-medically trained professionals in child welfare and mental health. All investigators and consultants have agreed to forego pharmaceutical industry funding for the entire duration of this project in order to maintain complete independence.

CriticalThinkRx:

• Offers a prescription for critical thinking about psychotropic medications
• 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.