Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was sworn in as President Donald Trump’s Health and Human Services Secretary on Feb. 13, 2025. Following his confirmation, an executive order was issued establishing the “Make America Healthy Again” Commission, which posed an attack on numerous hot topic issues.

Part of this order identifies the commission’s goal to “assess the prevalence of and threat posed by the prescription of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, stimulants, and weight-loss drugs.” Kennedy has been critical of the usage of these types of drugs in the past, particularly in their use amongst children.

Kennedy’s criticism particularly resides with SSRIs, or serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and has made false claims regarding their usage. The new Health and Human Services Secretary equated SSRIs to heroin, as he himself was an addict, and claims these antidepressants are more addictive than the Class A drug.

NPR highlights medical research posted in the Lancet debunking Kennedy’s claims, as serious withdrawal symptoms were only present in about 1 in 35 people who take antidepressants. Moreover, research conducted by Harvard Health found that symptoms of antidepressant withdrawal “may arise if the level changes too much too fast.” It is suggested that when going off of these medications, cessation is done so gradually over time through weaning. Even so, withdrawal symptoms are usually not medically dangerous, but rather uncomfortable.

Even further, Kennedy has likened the use of antidepressants as a cause of school shootings. His bold accusations of causation are disproven by medical research. A study conducted by Yale University found that the use of SSRIs in children is actually “effective for treating pediatric anxiety disorders and OCD.”

With Kennedy in office and the formation of the Make American Healthy Again Commission, Americans feel as if their medication is at risk. The American Association of Pediatrics found that following the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a sharp increase in the prescription of antidepressants. Researchers using the IQVIA Longitudinal Prescription Database concluded approximately 221 million prescriptions were written for Americans ages 12 to 25 from 2016 and 2022.

Research found the sharpest increase of monthly dispensing rates were in girls ages 12 to 17 years old, with a 130% increase. Additionally, the monthly dispensing rate increased about 57% faster for women ages 18 to 25. However, these rates decreased in boys ages 12 to 17 and did not change for men ages 18 to 25.