Robert F. Kennedy Jr. just launched a federal push to slash antidepressant prescriptions across the U.S., framing the move as a fix for overmedication. However, psychiatrists warn the plan ignores the real crisis: millions of people who can’t even get basic mental health care in the first place. The Department of Health and Human Services rolled out its new MAHA Action Plan this week, a multi-pronged effort to curb what it calls “psychiatric overprescribing.”
According to The Guardian, the plan, announced at a summit hosted by the Make America Healthy Again Institute, positions antidepressants, particularly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), as a default treatment that needs to be reined in. The HHS Secretary said the goal is to shift the standard of care toward “prevention, transparency, and a more holistic approach.”
