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NJ mental health advocates challenge RFK claims

By: Gene Myers
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey

..... New Jersey mental health advocates say U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s new push to reduce antidepressant sue confuses facts at a time when depression and anxiety remain elevated after the COVID-19 pandemic.
..... Kennedy recently announced efforts to help American taper off psychiatric medication and promote "prescribing when clinically indicated," according to a U.S. Department of Heath and Human Services statement.
..... At a Make America Healthy Again summit on May 4, [2026] Kennedy announced the new federal efforts, drawing calls for caution and context from health and mental health experts. "High anxiety and depression and other disorders remain very high," said Debra Wentz, CEO of the New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies. In 2023 14.4% of New Jersey adults reported a history of diagnosed depression, reported the New Jersey Department of Health.
..... Here are the positions Kennedy is focused on, where they could be helpful and where experts say the facts got muddied.

Antidepressants are over prescribed

..... Kennedy announced federal efforts to reduce what the administration described as psychiatric "over-prescribing" of antidepressants and other psychiatric medications, said the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
..... The administration called for more psychotherapy, better diet, physical activity and more connection instead, said the substance Abuse and Mention Health Services Administration.
..... Some of those are healthy ideas, said Wentz, who speaks for fellow New Jersey mental health professionals in her role. "We always agree that mental health treatment is not always just medication," Wentz said. "It includes, diet, exercise, nutrition, sleep and rest."
..... But antidepressants are often necessary and should not be dismissed as optional. "Using antidepressants is not a lifestyle choice," Wentz said.
..... Antidepressant can help people function, resume normal lives and survive severe, sometimes life-threatening depression, she said. "they're used by people who are depressed with suicidal ideation, who can't get out of bed because of their depression," Wentz said.
..... The American Psychiatric Association said that although it supports the focus on mental health, it strongly objects to framing the mental health crisis primarily as a problem of "over prescribing or "over medicaitonzation."

SSRIs can be harder to quit than heroin

..... Kennedy compared withdrawal from some antidepressants called SSRIs - or selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors p to withdrawal from heroin, both during public remarks tied to the initiative and in Senate confirmation hearings.
..... Wentz rejected that comparison
..... "Antidepressants are not a recreational drug," Wentz said. "They're not selling antidepressants on the street for people to get high."
..... Patients can experience withdrawal symptoms or side effects when stopping many kinds of medications and should work with doctors to taper off them safely when appropriate.
..... "To liken it to bring addicted to opioid, that might be extreme," Wentz said, adding that the comparison risks stigmatizing people who rely on medications as part of treatment for depression and anxiety.

These meds may be linked to school shootings

..... During Senate confirmation hearings, Kennedy suggested that SSRIs and other psychiatric medications should be studied as possible contributors to school shooting and violent behavior.
..... These is no evidence linking antidepressants to mass shootings, mental health experts say. "that is so inaccurate," Wentz said. "That's a travesty, to say that being on prescribed medication for mental illnesses leads to school violence. There's no evidence base for that."
..... She said framing SSRIs as a danger could discourage treatment and increase stigma. "Framing SSRIs as a problem to be solved sends a dangerous signal to the community and prescriber," Wentz said.

children are over medicated

..... Kennedy and others aligned with the Make America Healthy Again movement have argued that children are being ovremedicated with psychiatric drugs. Medication decisions involving children should be made between families and clinicians, Wentz said. "I don't think we can make these generalities," she said. "I really don't think that by good practitioners that is the case."

Patients aren't warned about risks

..... Kennedy has also argued that patients need better information about withdrawal risks and more support when discontinuing psychiatric medications, according to Health and Human Services. guidance form the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration says patients should receive clear information about "potential discontinuation symptoms" and "the risks of abrupt cessation."
..... "We totally agree with that," Wentz said. "Any medicine that your body becomes used to, you can't stop most medications. "that's when people get into a problem," Wentz said. "My concern is that these guidelines are going to end up resembling hoops to jump through, delaying care, and therefore even putting people at risk."

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