Radically Genuine Podcast with Dr. Roger McFillin 106. We Need Way Less Psychiatrists w/ Psychiatrist Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring
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Nov 6, 2025 Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring, a board-certified psychiatrist and deprescribing expert, shares his journey from FDA insider to private practitioner focused on tapering psychiatric medications. He reveals alarming truths about the overprescription of drugs, driven by industry interests and a flawed healthcare system. Dr. Witt-Doerring explains how antidepressants can increase suicidality among youth and discusses the emotional blunting caused by these medications. He advocates for a radical rethinking of psychiatric practices and emphasizes informed consent and gradual tapering.
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Be Honest About Medication Limits
- Dr. Josef argues that medications are often presented as solutions for social problems they cannot fix.
- He urges clinicians to admit limits and refuse to blithely prescribe when life stressors drive depression.
From Residency Frustration To Deprescribing Practice
- Dr. Josef recounts training discomfort when psychiatry reduced to drug-dispensing in residency.
- He left to work at the FDA and pharma before returning to start a deprescribing private practice.
How Primary Care Became The Main Prescriber
- Primary care prescribers were convinced these drugs are simple and like treating diabetes, enabling widespread prescribing.
- Combined with screening campaigns, that misperception funnels patients to medication rather than social or psychotherapeutic help.
