Updates

Ontario’s Primary Care Action Plan is considering granting psychologists with advanced postdoctoral training in clinical psychopharmacology authority to prescribe certain psychotropic medications, such as antidepressants, and order or interpret diagnostic tests like bloodwork, urinalysis, and ECGs for mental health or addiction care. The reform aims to address long wait times, prescriber shortages, and demand for integrated, community-based services. Goals include improving access, ensuring continuity between therapy and medication management, and relieving pressure on primary care and psychiatric systems. Supporters, including the Ontario Psychological Association, call the proposal a milestone in modernizing care. Critics, such as the Ontario Medical Association and family physician groups, warn it risks fragmenting care and compromising patient safety, citing reduced training and supervision standards. Consultations ran until 3 November 2025, but no regulatory amendments have been enacted. Success, if adopted, will depend on rigorous training, integration with primary care teams, and careful monitoring of safety, equity and continuity.