Key points

Overuse of psychoactive drugs is a national problem.

Untrained primary care physicians provide two-thirds of these prescriptions.

Laypersons are not qualified to supervise medication withdrawal.

Psychiatrists and other medication experts should supervise withdrawal.

A March 17, 2025, article in the New York Times (updated March 24) by Ellen Barry worried me and should be read by all with an interest in mental health care.

The article on Laura Delano’s national movement—that lay coaches supervise the taper and discontinuation of psychoactive medications in vast numbers of patients—encourages an overly optimistic view of what non-clinician Delano has to offer by allotting more space to its attributes than to the far greater dangers.

A photo of diazepam tablets. Source

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