RFK has a radical new health policy – which could have consequences for millions

Donald Trump’s health secretary is no stranger to controversy.

Known for espousing discredited claims on everything from vaccines to paracetamol, Robert F Kennedy Jr has used his position as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) within the Trump administration to ride roughshod over the medical establishment in his mission to “Make America Healthy Again”.

Yet one of his recent policies could be his most radical yet – with significant consequences for millions of Americans.

Last month, the HHS outlined plans to prevent what it called the “overmedicalisation” of mental health by curbing “psychiatric overprescribing”.

Kennedy said he was taking “clear and decisive action to confront our nation’s mental health crisis by addressing the overuse of psychiatric medications – especially among children”.

A department letter to providers encouraged them to reduce antidepressant use for treating depression, and instead consider “evidence-based non-pharmacological interventions”, including diet changes, social interaction, psychotherapy and exercise.

Kennedy has long been a critic of antidepressants, especially selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) – the most widely prescribed type of antidepressant medication, which include Lexapro, Prozac and Zoloft.

He has gone as far as claiming – without evidence – that they are more addictive than heroin and are responsible for mass shootings. His department has explored banning some of them, according to a Reuters report last month, which an HHS spokesperson denied.

RFK’s latest policy shift could have a huge impact on the US medical landscape. A recent study by the BMJ found that 33.9 per cent of Americans took or had taken antidepressants, while a survey last year found that nearly 17 per cent of respondents were currently using them.

Is RFK actually right about antidepressants?

So could his policy actually make a difference for the better?

Dr Joanna Moncrieff, a professor of critical and social psychiatry at University College London, is a well-known critic of antidepressant use. She has welcomed RFK’s push to deprescribe antidepressants, saying that instead of sending people with mental health issues to the doctor, they should be sent to social services.

“It’s not a medical problem, it’s very likely due to your life circumstances,” she said, adding that the initiative “will hopefully make doctors more cautious about overprescribing and encourage them to go with alternatives if possible”.

However, many experts are sceptical about the benefits of banishing antidepressant use, accusing Kennedy of oversimplifying a complex issue. While some support particular aspects of Kennedy’s approach to antidepressants, they caution against the kind of black-and-white thinking that seeks to remove their use completely.

The NHS says that all types of antidepressant work to treat symptoms of depression, while the Royal College of Psychiatrists says research shows that antidepressants help to reduce the symptoms of moderate and severe depression in adults.

SSRIs are usually the first type prescribed because these are easier to manage and less likely to cause serious problems if too much is taken, according to the NHS. Most doctors believe that SSRIs play a key role in combating poor mental health.

Why medical experts are cautious

Thorrun Govind, former chair of the English Pharmacy Board of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said that some of Kennedy’s recommended measures – such as therapy, exercise and social connection – could improve mental wellbeing.

However, she emphasised that “they are often recommended alongside medication rather than instead of it”.

“Different people respond to different approaches, and many benefit from a combination of treatments,” she added. “I don’t think we should discount the use of holistic treatments but they need to be evidence-based.”

Sameer Jauhar, a clinical associate professor in affective disorders and psychosis at Imperial College London, expressed reservations about RFK’s policies, and pointed out that “antidepressants will reduce your risk of relapse by a factor of two”.

“Other factors, such as deprivation or health issues, can impact the effectiveness of non-pharmacological treatments,” he added. “Poor people may not be able to access healthy foods as easily and people who are unwell may struggle to exercise.

“Also, some people may simply be too depressed to engage with other treatments.”

Niall JA Palmer, a senior lecturer in US politics at Brunel University, said that Kennedy’s policy was likely to run into problems. “The way that Kennedy has drawn up this policy doesn’t account for other factors, such as limited beds for psychiatric care and shortages in the workforce. These issues are why many people end up just getting prescribed drugs,” he said.

RFK is ‘throttling public health’

Doctors and other medical experts have often spoken out against RFK’s interventions in US health policy, accusing him of perpetuating falsehoods and conspiracy theories and endangering the health of the public.

Kennedy has little medical expertise. Last year, more than 750 current and former HHS workers signed a letter criticising his impact on public health, saying his “dangerous and deceitful statements” had contributed to a shooting at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Georgia.

In February, influential medical journal The Lancet said: “Under Kennedy’s leadership, politicisation at the NiH [National Institutes of Health], FDA [Food and Drug Administration], and CDC is imperilling the future of US science and innovation and throttling the public health enterprise that keeps the country safe today.”

Kennedy has long pushed the idea that vaccines cause autism.

“Multiple large, well-conducted studies conducted over many years have found no causal link between vaccination and autism,” Govind stressed. “Perpetuating this misinformation threatens lives.”

Kennedy has also cancelled billions of dollars for scientific research and forced out senior leaders and thousands of staff at HHS and the CDC. Last June, he fired the entire CDC vaccine advisory committee and parachuted in his own replacements, among them notable vaccine sceptics.

However, experts say that RFK had managed to get a few things right, not least his focus on reducing American consumption of ultra-processed food.

James D Boys, a senior research fellow at the Centre on US Politics at University College London, said that RFK was someone who seemed more willing to face America’s health problems head on.

“The percentage of the American population on prescription medication is remarkable. The percentage of the population that is obese is remarkable,” he said. “I think that what you see with Kennedy is someone who is willing to come out and say: ‘This country is facing a time bomb of epic proportions in terms of public and mental health’.”

“He’s got very strong approval with [Trump’s] Maga base,” Boys added. “About 88 per cent approve of his profile and his job performance.”

According to Palmer, RFK “tends to challenge existing norms. There’s that sense that he’s rocking the boat, but that’s part of his political approach”.

The world will see where US policy ends up when it comes to antidepressants.