Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced that the federal health department will launch initiatives to reduce antidepressant use in the US. Kennedy, who outlined these plans at a recent Make America Healthy Again Institute event, has consistently expressed his goal to reduce psychiatric drug use. Kennedy has claimed without evidence that these drugs are linked to a rise in school shootings and has voiced concerns about weaning off the medications and withdrawal symptoms. In a press release about the plans, the Department of Health and Human Services said it aimed to “curb psychiatric overprescribing” and promote “deprescribing when clinically indicated.” At the event, focused on “overmedicalization” of mental health, Kennedy acknowledged the role of psychiatric medications but said his department will no longer treat them as the default. The initiative targets the most prescribed psychiatric drugs, first-line treatments for depression and anxiety such as Zoloft, Lexapro, and Prozac.
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on May 4 announced initiatives intended to reduce SSRI use, while attempting to reassure Americans who still want to take them.
Just weeks ago, Kennedy faced intense questions about a dangerous uptick in infectious diseases among American children. Now, with midterm primaries underway, he's on a mission to change the subject.
