U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced at the “Make America Healthy Again” Institute summit on May 4 that the HHS will take action to decrease the overuse of antidepressants in the U.S. due to concerns about overprescription of psychiatric medication.
At the summit, Kennedy said “decreasing the overuse of antidepressants” — such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors — does not mean that they are being prohibited, but that treatment plans will be redirected to more holistic medical approaches before prescribed medication. To support this plan, more support and programs for non-medication care will be funded.
When Kennedy became HHS secretary in February 2025, reducing the use of antidepressants was one of his top priorities due to potential side effects and consequences. For example, there are claims that antidepressants are linked to violent behaviors and mass shootings, in addition to causing serious interference with fetal development when taken by pregnant people and causing severe withdrawal when trying to quit.
Mental health is a huge concern in America, with low rates of adults receiving medical help or support. Only about 40% of adults and adolescents with depression receive some sort of counseling, with just 11.4% of adults receiving prescription medication to help battle their depression.
SSRIs were introduced in the late 1980s as a second generation of antidepressants. Fluoxetine, also known as Prozac, was the first approved SSRI in 1987 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and marketed in 1988.
Physicians and psychiatrists are included in the process when prescribing medication, so labeling antidepressants as medication that is “overused” seems dangerous. If people need medication, then prescribing it aligns with the increase in support for Americans’ mental health.
With the help of psychiatric professionals and a primary doctor, the correct medication does improve mental health and positively impacts patients’ lives. Getting a prescription isn’t a self-decided process but rather a patient-psychiatric decision backed by diagnosis and professional opinions on what could be best for the patient.
The main concern for psychiatry experts lies with the visible decline in mental health and lack of health care following the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though psychiatry experts support the new federal plan to improve health care for mental illness concerning “overprescription” after the pandemic, reports documented an increasing need for medical mental support. After March 2020, there was a 41.1% increase in dispensary for monthly antidepressants, which correlates with the 5% increase in depression in female adults and adolescents at least 12 years old.
Psychotherapy is another treatment that has risen in popularity. Therapy for different severities of depression and other mental illnesses, including anxiety disorders, PTSD and eating disorders, has been tested as another medical alternative for mental illnesses. For example, family-based therapy can be effective for individuals who need professional support when battling anorexia, a severe mental illness with one of the highest mortality rates.
Therapies and holistic alternatives such as FBT are different approaches that professionals suggest before choosing medication, or for those who have no visible benefits after being prescribed medication. The “Dear Colleges Letter,” created from the HHS highlights, provides guidelines that encourage nutritional, psychotherapeutic, family-based and physical approaches when choosing clinical support for individuals’ mental health.
Prescribed medication has well-documented benefits. People with depression are more likely to have their social and work lives affected due to not receiving support for their mental health.
In a study, 31.2% of individuals 12 years and older found it “very to extremely difficult” to engage in work, home or social activities due to their depression symptoms.
Medication is necessary for many individuals. It provides support to those with ADHD by increasing neurotransmitters to improve focus and decrease impulsivity and hyperactivity.
These outcomes help create dietary, physical and social habits that benefit individuals who lack the biological base to create that environment on their own, thereby challenging the stigma that antidepressants or stimulants should be avoided.
Instead of saying “the prescription of antidepressants is overdone,” the statement can be amended to “there should be options between different psychotherapy and medications.”
Patients deserve to feel secure with their treatment and not have it easily stripped and labeled as “overprescription.”
Having this label on the mental health crisis psychiatrists are seeing in America doesn’t make access to medical care individuals need easier.
