The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on May 4, 2026, announced efforts to curb psychiatric overprescribing at a MAHA Institute summit on mental health and overmedicalization. As the closing speaker, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. laid out a new action plan to promote appropriate psychiatric prescribing and drive deprescribing when clinically indicated.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, we take clear and decisive action to confront our nation\u2019s mental health crisis by addressing the overuse of psychiatric medications\u2014especially among children,\u201d\u00a0said\u00a0Secretary Kennedy.\u00a0\u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Headlines<\/a> Headlines:The New York Times<\/a>: Kennedy Starts a Push to Help Americans Quit AntidepressantsThe Wall Street Journal<\/a>: RFK Jr. Wants to Wean Some Americans Off AntidepressantsPOLITICO<\/a>: HHS targets \u2018overmedication\u2019CNN<\/a>: RFK Jr. launches plan to address \u2018overuse\u2019 of psychiatric medicationsFox News<\/a>: RFK Jr. unveils initiative targeting ‘overuse’ of psychiatric medications, especially among childrenNBC News<\/a>: [CLIP ]RFK Jr. launches plan to limit antidepressant prescriptionsNewsNation<\/a>: RFK Jr. unveils campaign for \u2018deprescribing\u2019 antidepressantsWashington Examiner<\/a>: Trump admin HHS moves to curb \u2018overmedicalization\u2019 on antidepressantsBloomberg Law<\/a>: Kennedy Unveils Plan to Reduce Psychiatric Drug PrescriptionsNOTUS<\/a>: RFK Jr. Unveils His Plan to Reduce Americans\u2019 Reliance on AntidepressantsNewsmax<\/a>: RFK Jr. Pushes Federal Review of AntidepressantsThe Federalist<\/a>: RFK Launches Plan To Stop Predatory Overprescribing Of Psych DrugsThe Guardian<\/a>: US to take steps to curb antidepressant prescribing, RFK Jr saysThe Independent<\/a>: RFK Jr targets Zoloft and Prozac in latest MAHA push to kick America\u2019s drug habitThe Boston Globe<\/a>: Kennedy starts a push to help Americans quit antidepressantsThe Post Millennial<\/a>: RFK Jr takes on big pharma with campaign to ‘de-prescribe’ Medicare patients from SSRIsSTAT<\/a>: HHS tackles \u2018overmedication\u2019The Hill<\/a>: RFK Jr. unveils campaign for \u2018deprescribing\u2019 antidepressantsMedPage Today<\/a>: RFK Jr. Launches Effort to Encourage Antidepressant DeprescribingThe Hallucination Herald<\/a>: Kennedy Launches Federal Campaign to Help Americans Quit AntidepressantsFloridian Press<\/a>: RFK Jr. Announces Plan To Lower Psychiatric Medication OverusePsychiatric Times<\/a>: HHS Launches Action Plan to Promote \u201cAppropriate Psychiatric Prescribing\u201dEpoch Times<\/a>: RFK Jr. Announces New Plan to Tackle \u2018Overmedicalization\u2019 of Psychiatric CareGateway Pundit<\/a>: RFK Jr. Launches His Latest MAHA Project \u2014 Getting Americans Off AntidepressantsPolitical Wire<\/a>: Kennedy Tries to Get Americans Off AntidepressantsThe MAHA Report<\/a>: Kennedy Announces Historic Shift in U.S. Mental Healthcare TreatmentMedical Professionals:Tapering Clinic<\/a> Founder, board-certified psychiatrist, and former FDA Medical Officer, Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring, M.D., via X: \u201cDeprescribing is finally getting the attention it deserves, proud to have helped move this forward!\u201dVelocity Health<\/a> Founder, CEO, and physician, Sandeep Palakodeti, M.D., MPH, via X:\u00a0 \u201cWow this is actually huge. Billing codes to have real discussions with people about getting them off the poison they\u2019ve been stuck on for years.\u201dMontefiore Medical Center<\/a> Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Marty Silverman, via CNN: \u201cAs with all areas of medicine, we should be concerned about both overprescribing and underprescribing\u2026So too with psychiatric medications such as antidepressants or antipsychotics.\u201dDr. Vibeke Manniche, M.D., Ph.D.<\/a>, author, scientist, and lecturer via X: \u201cA need for non-[pharmacologic] treatment – also when it comes diagnosis as ADHD – where the overmedication is immense and worrying. The world – not only US – needs that kind of leadership as @SecKennedy is providing\u201dDr. Julian Somers<\/a>, clinical psychologist and distinguished professor, via X: \u201cAs a clinical psychologist I\u2019ve worked with people throughout my career who want to reduce or stop their medications. North America\u2019s decades-long collective fascination with meds is now driving an overdue set of reforms ranging from de-prescribing to prevention.\u201dNicolas Badre<\/a>, forensic, clinical, and psychotherapy psychologist, via X: \u201cYesterday, HHS released a Dear Colleague letter on psychotropic medications. Contrary to what many may say. It is reasonable. \u201cPsychiatric medications can play an important and, at times, essential role.\u201d It recommends reasonable things: treatment plans should consider \u201cevidence-based non-pharmacological interventions [including] psychotherapy, social connection, behavioral approaches, sleep-focused treatments, physical activity interventions, and dietary and nutrition-related strategies.\u201d At the initiation of meds, appropriate informed consent on \u201cthe purpose of the medication, expected benefits, possible adverse effects, monitoring needs, potential discontinuation symptoms, the risks of abrupt cessation when relevant, the possibility of relapse or recurrence, and the availability of evidence-based non-pharmacological interventions.\u201d After meds are started, \u201cregular and deliberate review of psychiatric medication regimens to ensure that each medication remains necessary.\u201d I know that some of my colleagues are concerned, but this letter seems reasonable, common sense, and non-alarmist to me. We have ramped up psychotropic meds for decades and overshot; HHS is appropriately responding.\u201dAllen Frances, M.D.<\/a>, Former Chair of the Duke University Department of Psychiatry and author, via X: \u201cMiracle of miracles: RFK Jr finally gets something right. Announces new federal effort to reduce ridiculous 16% rate of antidepressant use in US. We need guidelines to stop\u00a0 careless prescribing\/encourage careful deprescribing. Great news\/great piece.\u201dDr. Joanna Moncrieff<\/a>, critical psychiatrist, author, and researcher via X: \u201cI don’t agree with all RFK Jr’s views, but am grateful that he is calling attention to the enormous problem of overmedicalisation and epidemic levels of use of psychiatric drugs.\u201dJaveed Sukhera M.D., Ph.D.<\/a>, physician and psychiatrist via X: \u201cAs a psychiatrist, I see it every day, too many Americans are overmedicated and undertreated. Medication has a role, but suffering carries meaning. We need space to understand it, not to medicate it without deeper engagement in what is actually going on.\u201dOm Prakash, M.D.<\/a>, psychiatrist, geriatric and ECT specialist via X: \u201cDeprescribing has its place and psychiatrists use it when needed. Paying for it makes sense where overprescribing is the problem\u2026\u201dAdvocates & Organizations:Inner Compass<\/a> Founder, author, and former psychiatric patient, Laura Delano, via The New York Times: \u201cWe are now waking up to the false promises of this industry called mental health\u2026Time has run out on this deceptive mythology. Our culture sees through it now. A couple of years ago, I could never in my wildest dreams have imagined that we would reach this tipping point.\u201dMAHA Action<\/a> via X: \u201cRFK Jr. says America is facing an overmedicalization crisis. \u201cThe United States does not just face a mental health crisis, we face a dependency crisis driven by overmedicalization\u20261 in 6 American adults takes an antidepressant\u20261 in 10 children are on prescription medication for their mental health\u2026\u201dAmerican Psychiatric Association<\/a> via press release: \u201cAPA welcomes the attention placed squarely on the nation\u2019s mental health crisis and is committed to advancing solutions that improve access to high-quality evidence-based care. We are supportive of the Administration\u2019s plans for further investment in research and clinician training on the issues of prescribing and deprescribing.\u201dAmerican Psychiatric Association<\/a> Chief Executive and Medical Director, Dr. Marketa Wills, via The New York Times: \u201cThere is probably overprescribing and underprescribing in all parts of medicine, and mental health care is no different\u2026The bottom line is, we believe clinical care is safe and should be individualized for all patients, and we believe the secretary is taking steps that are beneficial for the field.\u201dAmerican Foundation for Suicide Prevention<\/a> Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Christine Yu Moutier, via press release: \u201cAppropriate discontinuing of medications can play a role in high-quality care when guided by careful, individualized clinical assessment\u2014such as when medications are ineffective, cause concerning side effects, or involve unnecessary use of multiple medications.\u201dMaxwell Sciences<\/a> CEO, Scotch McClure, via X: \u201cVery impressive. I didn\u2019t realize doctors did not get paid for de-prescribing. No wonder we\u2019re in such a mess.\u201dAbundance Institute<\/a> Digital Director and Policy Advisor, Shoshana Weissmann, via X: \u201cThis is really important and I’m so glad to see it!!!\u201dWJW Mental Health Legal Fund<\/a> via X: \u201cThis is in our mission narrative since a 2013 treatment team meeting at Tulsa Ctr for Behavioral Health (TCBH) where Jeff was inpatient for the umpteenth time and mom told them these are dependent drugs but the treatment team said \u2018no they\u2019re not\u2019 Thank you #CMS #HHS #RFKjr\u201dInfluencers & Members of the Media:Ellen Barry<\/a>, reporter for The New York Times, via NBC News: \u201cI think there\u2019s lots of good evidence that other mechanisms, things like sleep and exercise and nutrition, but especially psychotherapy, are really effective treatments for depression and anxiety and other disorders.\u201dPsychiatric Times<\/a> Board Member, H. Steven Moffic, M.D., via the Psychiatric Times: \u201cThe best psychiatric care comes from an adequately funding for the comprehensive toolkit of our knowledge and skills as our model of biological, psychological, and social variables all together indicate\u2026Unfortunately, the decades of growing influence of for-profit business has put limits on what psychiatrists can do, causing a decrease in quality of care, and also an epidemic rate of burnout. On the other hand, psychiatry has also been lax in monitoring outcomes and passive in presenting our concerns. We need a national task force of experts to address this challenge.\u201dAngel Russell<\/a>, One America News correspondent via One America News Network [CLIP]: \u201cThe Department of Health and Human Services is rolling out a sweeping new plan to curb what officials say is widespread overprescribing of psychiatric medications, with a major focus on children and a shift toward holistic care. Announced Monday at a mental health summit in Washington, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Junior unveiled what’s being called the MAHA Action Plan, aimed at reining in what he describes as overmedicalization across the country. The plan calls for stronger informed consent, more shared decision-making and a push towards non-drug options like therapy, nutrition and family support. Critics argue big pharma has long had a financial incentive to keep prescriptions flowing, even when questions about safety remain.\u201dMaryanne Demasi, Ph.D.<\/a> (@MaryanneDemasi), investigative journalist and researcher, via X: \u201cDeprescribing psychiatric drugs put on U.S. agenda to limit overuse@SecKennedy brings long-term use, withdrawal, and tapering into focus after years of patient reports & clinical concern around psychiatric meds\u2026\u201dPeterson Academy Founder<\/a>, Mikhaila Peterson (@MikhailaFuller) via X: \u201c[Secretary Kennedy\u2019s] on a roll.\u201d.Martin Varsavsky<\/a> (@martinvars) via X: \u201cPaying doctors to deprescribe is paying for judgment, not volume. This is exactly how primary care should move: fewer unnecessary pills, more accountability, better outcomes.\u201dThe Washington Times Unleashed<\/a> (@TWT_UNLEASHED) via X: \u201cRFK Jr. Launches Plan to Help Americans Taper Off Antidepressants. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a federal initiative on Monday to reduce reliance on SSRI antidepressants and help patients safely discontinue use. He unveiled the plan at a Make America Healthy Again Institute event in Washington, where he described a family member’s withdrawal experience and compared SSRI discontinuation to his own past heroin recovery. The plan includes new Medicare and Medicaid payments for clinicians who help patients taper off psychiatric medications, federal training modules on prescribing risks, and expert-drafted deprescribing guidelines.SSRIs such as Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, and Lexapro are taken by roughly 1 in 6 US adults. “We will no longer treat psychiatric medications as the default,” Kennedy said, adding that the government is not telling patients to stop their prescriptions. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is expected to host webinars for prescribers in June and July, and HHS will convene an expert panel in July to inform clinical guidance on tapering\u2026\u201dMario Nawfal<\/a> (@MarioNawfal) via X: \u201cRFK Jr. wants to help Americans get off antidepressants. The medical establishment is already furious. But 1 in 8 Americans is on these drugs long-term, and most were never given an exit plan by their doctors. Maybe the outrage says more about the system than the proposal.\u201dCr\u00e9mieux<\/a> (@cremieuxrecueil) via X: \u201cWe actually do need a lot of deprescribing, especially for old people, among whom polypharmacy is a big problem. In fact, 40% of elderly people taking 5-9 medications, with 18% taking 10+, and 1-in-5 are on Beers List medications (i.e., medications inappropriate for old people).\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on May 4, 2026, announced efforts to curb psychiatric…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":549867,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[97,254887,259,260],"class_list":["post-628388","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mental-health","tag-health","tag-make-america-healthy-again-maha","tag-mental-health","tag-mentalhealth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628388","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=628388"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628388\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/549867"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=628388"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=628388"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=628388"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Medical Professionals<\/a>
Advocates & Organizations<\/a>
Influencers & Members of the Media<\/a><\/p>\n