By Emma Spencer, Science & Technology Reporter

In living rooms across California and beyond, a quiet revolution is underway. More Americans are questioning the pills that have become staples in their medicine cabinets. Following years of aggresive marketing, antidepressants, antipsychotics, and benzodiazepines have become a regular part of many people’s routines, but now growing numbers are asking a simple but radical question: Is it time to stop?

The process, known as deprescribing, is gaining traction in both clinical circles and patient communities. Defined as the planned, supervised reduction or discontinuation of medications when potential harms outweigh benefits, deprescribing is no longer fringe advice from online forums. It now carries the weight of major medical consensus, including a landmark February 2026 statement from the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology (ASCP) published in JAMA Network Open.

A 45-member international task force of psychopharmacology experts, after months of Delphi surveys and literature reviews, reached broad agreement: every psychotropic regimen deserves periodic review. Deprescribing should be considered when response is partial, treatment goals are met, or side effects like weight gain and cognitive fog tip the scales. Decisions must involve shared input from patients, close monitoring afterward, and attention to psychological fallout.

The push comes as long-held assumptions about mental health face scrutiny. A 2022 systematic review in Molecular Psychiatry by researchers including Joanna Moncrieff found no consistent evidence linking depression to low serotonin levels—the so-called “chemical imbalance” theory that underpinned decades of antidepressant prescribing. Some data even suggested long-term use might reduce serotonin concentrations.

Locally, California has been ahead of the curve on curbing overprescribing, particularly among foster youth. State laws passed after exposés on polypharmacy in the child welfare system led to a 22% drop in psychotropic medication use among foster children over the past decade, with antipsychotic prescriptions falling sharply from over 7% in 2011 to 3% by 2020.

A recent viral Facebook reel by Dr. Teralyn, shared widely in mental health groups, captured the sentiment: “You are not the exception to the chemical imbalance theory—you need to look deeper.” The post promotes informed consent and deprescribing as part of reclaiming brain health.

Experts emphasize deprescribing is not “cold turkey” abandonment. The June 2025 Journal of Clinical Psychiatry article from the ASCP task force argued the term belongs in psychiatry’s lexicon precisely because it describes a nuanced, ongoing clinical process including tapering doses and monitoring symptoms, rather than abrupt stops.

Still, barriers remain. Withdrawal symptoms can be severe, and some patients fear relapse. Yet studies in dementia care and older adults show successful deprescribing can reduce falls, improve neuropsychiatric symptoms, and cut costs without worsening outcomes.

As the movement grows, Sacramento-area clinicians and residents alike are paying attention. In an era of polypharmacy fatigue, deprescribing offers a message of empowerment: sometimes the bravest step forward is learning when to step back from the pills.