CCHR has been obtaining psychotropic drug prescribing data and adverse drug reaction (ADR) reports through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for decades. As far back as the 1990s, amidst growing reports of Prozac triggering intense suicidal ideation and violence—highlighted by medical studies and a surge in adverse event reports to the FDA—CCHR filed FOIA requests with the FDA in 1989–1990 to obtain thousands of original adverse reaction reports on Prozac. This information was then used in CCHR’s petition to the FDA and contributions to the public testimony and materials surrounding the September 1991 FDA Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee hearings on Prozac and suicidality/violence.

In a more recent round of FOIAs, CCHR International specifically targeted the psychotropic drugging of children under Medicaid programs across multiple states

These FOIA requests often cost significant funds to fulfill from state health departments. To ensure accuracy in recent analyses, CCHR compiled grids of thousands of National Drug Codes (NDCs) from the FDA, covering more than 400 psychiatric drugs. These unique identifiers account for differences in manufacturer, strength, form, and packaging, allowing states to extract precise Medicaid records.

The resulting 2023 data revealed that 2,999,084 children aged 0–17 were prescribed psychiatric drugs under Medicaid, including 270,196 children aged 0–5, at a total cost of $1.78 billion. ADHD stimulants were the most commonly prescribed, followed by antidepressants (920,411 children, including 25,414 aged 0–5), anti-anxiety drugs (605,746 children, including 145,783 aged 0–5), and antipsychotics (465,559 children, including 34,758 aged 0–5). Many of these medications carry serious FDA warnings for suicidal thoughts, dependence, diabetes, movement disorders, and other severe risks.

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