{"id":73098,"date":"2026-05-05T15:56:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T20:56:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news2shorts.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/05\/rfk-jr-unveils-initiative-targeting-overuse-of-psychiatric-medications-especially-among-children\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T15:56:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T20:56:10","slug":"rfk-jr-unveils-initiative-targeting-overuse-of-psychiatric-medications-especially-among-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news2shorts.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/05\/rfk-jr-unveils-initiative-targeting-overuse-of-psychiatric-medications-especially-among-children\/","title":{"rendered":"RFK Jr. unveils initiative targeting ‘overuse’ of psychiatric medications, especially among children"},"content":{"rendered":"

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr<\/a>. on Monday unveiled a new initiative targeting what he described as the “overuse” of psychiatric medications, part of a broader push to confront the nation’s mental health crisis.<\/p>\n

Speaking Monday at a Make America Healthy Again<\/a> Institute summit, Kennedy said the effort will emphasize the appropriate deprescribing of psychiatric drugs while shifting care toward prevention and more holistic treatment approaches.<\/p>\n

“Today, we take clear and decisive action to confront our nation\u2019s mental health crisis by addressing the overuse of psychiatric medications \u2014 especially among children,”\u00a0Kennedy said in a statement.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

“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.”<\/p>\n

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Antidepressants rank among the most commonly prescribed drugs in the United States<\/a>, with a 2025 survey of over 30,000 adults showing that 16.6% were using them, according to The Wall Street Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Kennedy stressed the effort is not about forcing patients off medication, the outlet reported.<\/p>\n

“Let me be clear: If you are taking psychiatric medication<\/a>, we are not telling you to stop,” Kennedy said. “We are making sure you \u2014 and your clinician \u2014 have the information and support to make the right decision for you.”<\/p>\n

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In a letter released Monday, HHS urged providers<\/a> to prioritize informed consent and shared decision-making, and to routinely reassess the risks and benefits of psychiatric medications with patients.<\/p>\n

The department also highlighted other ways to treat mental health issues, including therapy, family support, better nutrition and exercise, when appropriate.<\/p>\n

At the same time, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced new guidance allowing physicians to be reimbursed for helping patients safely taper off psychiatric medications and monitor withdrawal.<\/p>\n

The plan also includes a new report on prescribing trends, more training for doctors, and a panel of experts to guide future decisions on medication use.<\/p>\n

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An HHS spokesperson pointed to rising prescription rates among children, including increases in ADHD diagnoses and antidepressant use, arguing the trend reflects “overmedicalization” and a need to expand non-drug, evidence-based treatment options.<\/p>\n

“HHS is committed to elevating the role of nonmedication treatments and scalable, evidence-based solutions to improve mental health and prevent the unnecessary initiation of psychiatric medications,” an HHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday unveiled a new initiative targeting what he described as the “overuse” of psychiatric medications, part of a broader push to confront the nation’s mental health crisis. Speaking Monday at a Make America Healthy Again Institute summit, Kennedy said the effort will emphasize the … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-73098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news2shorts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73098","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news2shorts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news2shorts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news2shorts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news2shorts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73098"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/news2shorts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73098\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news2shorts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73098"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news2shorts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73098"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news2shorts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73098"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}