House advances bill on notifications for teen antidepressants

A bill prohibiting teenagers from receiving certain kinds of antidepressants without parental consent passed the Health, Welfare and Institutions subcommittee in party-line 10-8 vote after some amendments.

The bill, HB 1389, was proposed by Del. Timothy Anderson, R-Virginia Beach. Anderson originally introduced the bill as blocking teenagers from receiving controlled substances, rather than just drugs classified as SSIRS, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

“If [the depression] is so bad that we need prescription medication for treatment, in my opinion, we should bring the parents into that equation,” Anderson said. “Especially if they’re severely depressed and prescribing the medication may make them more suicidal.”

Anderson brought Scott Johnson, the general counsel of  the Medical Society of Virginia, to the subcommittee for support for this bill. Johnson, however, affirmed certain fears from other delegates that adolescents will not be able to receive care.

“The last thing we want is a kid not getting the medication they need because we know they’ll end up in the emergency room,” Johnson said. “That is a valid concern amongst others.”

The amendments made to this bill were spurred by other delegates’ concerns about teenagers accessing other medicine without parental consent. Del. Dawn Adams, D-Richmond, was concerned about teenagers’ access to medicine in emergency situations.

“I would like to take you up on your offer to change the word medications to SSRI,” Adams said. “In an emergency situation, an SSRI is not going to be the drug of choice.”

Multiple public commenters attended the subcommittee meeting to speak on this bill. Most opposed, although there were a few supporters.

A community member identified as Vic N. via Zoom was in favor of this bill trusting that it will strengthen the bonds between children and parents.

“Why is it that children are always hiding things from their parents, but it is ok for the state to stick their necks in there,” said Vic. “The state is absolutely not the controller of kids, it is the parents.”

Many of the other public commenters were against this bill, including Emily Moore, policy analyst at Voices for Virginia’s Children. She noted that many teenagers lack access to mental health facilities.

“This goes against the current practice that allows medical autonomy for older youth and what ultimately constrains some older youth from receiving the mental health treatment they need,” Moore said.

The bill returned to the subcommittee Thursday with amendments altering the bill to limit teenagers’ access to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. This bill continued to receive pushback from some delegates, including Del. Patrick Hope, D-Arlington.

“If a child believes that their parents will find out, even through this backdoor way, then they’re less likely to get that treatment,” Hope said. “I just have a feeling this will have a chilling effect.”