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UVM's chief of child psychiatry discusses youth mental health and antidepressants

Close-up of man psychologist or psychiatrist sitting and holding hands palm of his woman patient for encouragement. PTSD Mental health concept,
Khanchit Khirisutchalual/Getty Images/iStockphoto
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iStockphoto
Close-up of man psychologist or psychiatrist sitting and holding hands palm of his woman patient for encouragement. PTSD Mental health concept,

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump issued an executive order calling for a study on the effects of antidepressants and antipsychotics on children. He established the Make America Healthy Again commission to examine childhood chronic diseases, including mental health disorders. This comes as new U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. argues that antidepressants, particularly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), are overprescribed to children.

Dr. Steven Schlozman, chief of child psychiatry at the University of Vermont Medical Center, explains how these medications work, and how they are prescribed, and answered listener questions.

Broadcast live on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

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Mikaela Lefrak is the host and senior producer of Vermont Edition. Her stories have aired nationally on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Marketplace, The World and Here & Now. A seasoned local reporter, Mikaela has won two regional Edward R. Murrow awards and a Public Media Journalists Association award for her work.