Kennedy announces campaign to end overprescribing psychiatric antidepressants

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a campaign Monday to end the overprescribing of psychiatric medications, including medications used to treat depression.

The announcement occurred during a Make America Healthy Again Institute summit on mental health.

“Today, we take clear and decisive action to confront our nation’s mental health crisis by addressing the overuse of psychiatric medications — especially among children,” Kennedy said. “We will support patient autonomy, require informed consent and shared decision-making, and shift the standard of care toward prevention, transparency and a more holistic approach to mental health."

Kennedy stated that he was not telling doctors to immediately stop prescribing psychiatric medication, but that the campaign will help make sure providers and patients "have the information and support to make the right decisions for you."

Top officials within the HHS also wrote in a "Dear Colleague" letter that while psychiatric medications are an important tool in treating some conditions, they “should not be understood as the only treatment option."

The announcement comes as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is expected to issue a report later this month on prescribing trends.

The American Psychiatric Association said it supports the spirit and intentions of Kennedy's announcement but rejected the notion and framing that the country's mental health crisis is the result of overprescribing medication, according to the Post Millennial. 

"While APA supports efforts to improve the quality, safety, and evidence base of mental health treatment, we strongly object to framing the nation’s mental health crisis as primarily a problem of ‘overmedicalization’ or ‘overprescribing,'” the APA said. “Deprescribing alone is not a sufficient response to this crisis.”

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.