1 in 4 Adults on psychotropic drugs
Overall, 25% of Tennesseans were taking psychotropic drugs as of January 2022, the most recent data available. This represented an increase of 15% over the prior year.
- VinZant, Nick. “Pandemic Fuels Rise in Mental Health Prescriptions.” QuoteWizard, 2021. Archived January 29, 2023, at the Wayback Machine. Accessed December 2025. https://
web. .archive. org/ web/ 20230129041517/ https: / / quotewizard. com/ news/ mental- health- prescriptions
1 in 12 children on psychotropic drugs
TennCare reported 82,605 children aged 6-17 on psychotropic drugs. SCORE (State Collaborative on Reforming Education ) reported 967,356 students K-12 in 2022. The statement “1 in 12 grade-school students” is a conservative approximation of 82,605 / 967,356.
- See “Disarm Pharma: TN CHD Provides Comment on Psychotropic Drugs.” Children’s Health Defense, accessed December 5, 2025, https://
tn. /.childrenshealthdefense. org/ disarm- pharma/ tn- chd- provides- comment- on- psychotropic- drugs - See CCHR Nashville, “Tennessee Children on Psychotropic Drugs 2013‑2021,” accessed December 2025, https://
cchrtennessee. /org/ tennessee- children- on- psychotropic- drugs- 2013- 2021 - See “K‑12 By the Numbers.” TNScore, Tennessee Department of Education, accessed December, 2025, https://
tnscore. .org/ resources/ k- 12- by- the- numbers
1 in 3 Foster children prescribed psychotropic drugs
Approximately 1 in 3 foster children in Tennessee were on psychiatric drugs according to the last detailed state-specific data from the Tennessee Accountability Center report (2018), with more recent Medicaid analyses showing the national rate has risen to approximately 35% as of 2023.
- Tennessee Accountability Center, “The Center for State Child Welfare Data – Tennessee Accountability Center Report (May 31 2018),” Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, 2018, accessed December 2025, https://
fcda. .chapinhall. org/ wp- content/ uploads/ 2018/ 06/ Tennessee- Accountability- Center- Report2_ 05. 31. 18. pdf - Keefe, Rachael J., Angela D. L. Cummings, Ashley E. Smith, Christopher S. Greeley, and Bethanie S. Van Horne, “Psychotropic Medication Prescribing: Youth in Foster Care Compared with Other Medicaid Enrollees,” Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology 33, no. 4 (May 2023): 149‑155, https://
doi. .org/ 10. 1089/ cap. 2022. 0092
11,453 Infants and toddlers on psychotropic drugs
TennCare reported 11,453 children aged 0-5 on psychotropic drugs.
- CCHR Tennessee, “Tennessee Children on Psychotropic Drugs 2013‑2021,” accessed December 2025, https://
cchrtennessee. /org/ tennessee- children- on- psychotropic- drugs- 2013- 2021