{"id":624663,"date":"2026-06-06T16:27:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T16:27:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/624663\/"},"modified":"2026-06-06T16:27:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T16:27:09","slug":"rfk-has-a-radical-new-health-policy-which-could-have-consequences-for-millions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/624663\/","title":{"rendered":"RFK has a radical new health policy \u2013 which could have consequences for millions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Donald Trump\u2019s<\/a> health secretary is no stranger to controversy.<\/p>\n

Known for espousing discredited claims<\/a> on everything from vaccines to paracetamol<\/a>, Robert F Kennedy Jr<\/a> 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 \u201cMake America Healthy Again\u201d.<\/p>\n

Yet one of his recent policies could be his most radical yet \u2013 with significant consequences for millions of Americans.<\/p>\n

Last month, the HHS outlined plans to prevent what it called the \u201covermedicalisation\u201d of mental health by curbing \u201cpsychiatric overprescribing\u201d.<\/p>\n

Kennedy said he was taking \u201cclear and decisive action to confront our nation\u2019s mental health crisis by addressing the overuse of psychiatric medications \u2013 especially among children\u201d.<\/p>\n

A department letter to providers encouraged them to reduce antidepressant<\/a> use for treating depression, and instead consider \u201cevidence-based non-pharmacological interventions\u201d, including diet changes, social interaction, psychotherapy and exercise.<\/p>\n

Kennedy has long been a critic of antidepressants, especially selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) \u2013 the most widely prescribed type of antidepressant medication, which include Lexapro, Prozac and Zoloft.<\/p>\n

He has gone as far as claiming \u2013 without evidence \u2013 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<\/a> last month, which an HHS spokesperson denied.<\/p>\n

RFK\u2019s latest policy shift could have a huge impact on the US medical landscape. A recent study by the <\/a>BMJ<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

\"USRobert F. Kennedy Jr. and Donald Trump at a \u201cMaking Health Technology Great Again\u201d event last summer (Photo: Jim Watson\/AFP)<\/p>\n

Is RFK actually right about antidepressants? <\/p>\n

So could his policy actually make a difference for the better?<\/p>\n

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\u2019s push to deprescribe antidepressants, saying that instead of sending people with mental health issues to the doctor, they should be sent to social services.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not a medical problem, it\u2019s very likely due to your life circumstances,\u201d she said, adding that the initiative \u201cwill hopefully make doctors more cautious about overprescribing and encourage them to go with alternatives if possible\u201d.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s approach to antidepressants, they caution against the kind of black-and-white thinking that seeks to remove their use completely.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

Why medical experts are cautious<\/p>\n

Thorrun Govind, former chair of the English Pharmacy Board of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said that some of Kennedy\u2019s recommended measures \u2013 such as therapy, exercise and social connection \u2013 could improve mental wellbeing.<\/p>\n

However, she emphasised that \u201cthey are often recommended alongside medication rather than instead of it\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"ThisA tablet of Escitalopram, marketed under brand names including Lexapro, Cipralex, Sipralexa and Seroplex, is an antidepressant belonging to the class of SSRIs (Photo: Jean-Christophe Verhaegen\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\u201cDifferent people respond to different approaches, and many benefit from a combination of treatments,\u201d she added. \u201cI don\u2019t think we should discount the use of holistic treatments but they need to be evidence-based.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sameer Jauhar, a clinical associate professor in affective disorders and psychosis at Imperial College London, expressed reservations about RFK\u2019s policies, and pointed out that \u201cantidepressants will reduce your risk of relapse by a factor of two\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cOther factors, such as deprivation or health issues, can impact the effectiveness of non-pharmacological treatments,\u201d he added. \u201cPoor people may not be able to access healthy foods as easily and people who are unwell may struggle to exercise.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlso, some people may simply be too depressed to engage with other treatments.\u201d<\/p>\n

Niall JA Palmer, a senior lecturer in US politics at Brunel University, said that Kennedy\u2019s policy was likely to run into problems. \u201cThe way that Kennedy has drawn up this policy doesn\u2019t 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

RFK is \u2018throttling public health\u2019<\/p>\n

Doctors and other medical experts have often spoken out against RFK\u2019s interventions in US health policy, accusing him of perpetuating falsehoods and conspiracy theories and endangering the health of the public.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cdangerous and deceitful statements\u201d had contributed to a shooting at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Georgia.<\/p>\n

\"RobertKennedy\u2019s radical reshaping of the food pyramid raised eyebrows, but is based on some scientific evidence (Photo: Kent Nishimura\/Bloomberg\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

In February, influential medical journal The Lancet said: \u201cUnder Kennedy\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kennedy has long pushed the idea that vaccines cause autism<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cMultiple large, well-conducted studies conducted over many years have found no causal link between vaccination and autism,\u201d Govind stressed. \u201cPerpetuating this misinformation threatens lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kennedy has also cancelled billions of dollars for scientific research<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s health problems head on.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe percentage of the American population on prescription medication is remarkable. The percentage of the population that is obese is remarkable,\u201d he said. \u201cI think that what you see with Kennedy is someone who is willing to come out and say: \u2018This country is facing a time bomb of epic proportions in terms of public and mental health\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s got very strong approval with [Trump\u2019s] Maga<\/a> base,\u201d Boys added. \u201cAbout 88 per cent approve of his profile and his job performance.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Palmer, RFK \u201ctends to challenge existing norms. There\u2019s that sense that he\u2019s rocking the boat, but that\u2019s part of his political approach\u201d.<\/p>\n

The world will see where US policy ends up when it comes to antidepressants.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Donald Trump\u2019s health secretary is no stranger to controversy. Known for espousing discredited claims on everything from vaccines…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":624664,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[13883,141,102,20617,2960,62896,48868,56,54,55,659],"class_list":["post-624663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-antidepressants","tag-donald-trump","tag-health","tag-health-secretary","tag-healthcare","tag-republican-party","tag-robert-f-kennedy","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-usa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/624663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=624663"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/624663\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/624664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=624663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=624663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=624663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}