The past month has been a nightmare to keep up with. From Elon Musk in the Oval Office to the barrage of executive orders, it has been hard to sort through what has been happening. I think it’s important to stop and take a look at the issues that are not only affecting the country as a whole but also those that impact you the most.
Recently, Trump appointed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the secretary of Health and Human Services, and he was confirmed to the position last week.
This is concerning for multiple reasons (from his lack of medical background to his controversial beliefs about vaccines and popular conspiracy theories), but we should focus on one specific event that has happened recently that he played a big role in.
On February 13, Trump issued an executive order that is “calling for a team to study the use of antidepressants, antipsychotics, and obesity medications in children, claiming these medications may cause a “threat” to adolescents,” according to ABC News.
The new head of the Department of Health and Human Services, RFK Jr. will be the chair of all further investigation and research into these medications. And based on his statements in the past, it is pretty obvious that he played a large role in the formation of this executive order and what it is attacking.
RFK Jr. has made many concerning comments on antidepressants (drugs like Lexapro, Zoloft, and Prozac used to treat mental health issues like anxiety and depression) in the past, in particular saying there is “‘tremendous circumstantial evidence” [suggesting] that people taking antidepressants were more likely to commit school shootings” (Butler, 2025) during a live stream with Elon Musk.
The executive order states that the White House is simply forming an organization to study and attempt to understand chronic illnesses. But with RFK Jr.’s troubling views on SSRIs and other treatments for mental illness, it’s not hard to see that this is an attack on mental health resources for those struggling.
The White House claims that the goal of the order is to “assess the prevalence of and threat posed by the prescription of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, stimulants, and weight-loss drugs.”
This language leads people to believe that these drugs may be harmful in some way to those who rely on them. However, these drugs have been rigorously tested and even doctors are commenting on how the current government is missing a lot of context that goes into the prescription of these drugs.
ABC News interviewed Dr. Joseph Saseen, associate dean for clinical affairs and a professor in the departments of clinical pharmacy and family medicine at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Colorado, and he reminded people that “anything that’s approved by the FDA is considered a safe and effective treatment. None of these are new.”
But the statements from doctors (or the facts) don’t seem to have an impact on the current administration when it comes to the executive orders they are dealing out.
For me, as someone who struggled with depression and anxiety, the fact that the treatment that has worked so well for me (as discussed with my doctor) is under attack is frightening. Medications have made a tremendous difference in my life and have allowed me to be able to live my life to the best possible degree.
The language of this new executive order and the beliefs that RFK Jr. is spreading are just perpetuating the harmful stigma around these medications and treatments. It can lead to people who are struggling with their mental health to not seek help and that can have devastating consequences.
Sources:
Butler, K. (2025, February 14). RFK Jr. is already taking aim at antidepressants. Mother Jones. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/02/kennedy-rfk-antidepressants-ssri-school-shootings/
Herchenroeder, K. (2025, February 15). RFK Jr.. goes after widely used antidepressants, claiming they could be a threat to Americans. Vanity Fair. https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/rfk-jr-goes-after-antidepressants-claiming-threat-to-americanssrsltid=AfmBOoro4ROyog9wHyaXsoJ0Pw9bgmXrt97CWzhhqT7GBY57sHRlOlny
Kekatos, M. (2025, February 20). Trump, RFK Jr. go after antidepressants, weight loss drugs. Here’s what the science says. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/Health/rfk-jr-studying-threat-ssris-weight-loss-drugs/story?id=118937552
The United States Government. (2025, February 13). Establishing the president’s make america healthy again commission. The White House. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/establishing-the-presidents-make-america-healthy-again-commission/