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Tuesday, 21 July 2026

MAHA Plan Targets Psychiatric Prescribing Amid Controversy

New HHS initiative aims to curb overprescribing, sparking debate over mental health care standards.

Talivio News · Global 1 min read
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A doctor's hand writing a prescription on a notebook next to pills and a stethoscope on a desk. Towfiqu barbhuiya

In May 2026, a new Make America Healthy Again Action Plan to Curb Psychiatric Overprescribing was announced.

The announcement of the Make America Healthy Again Action Plan was met with alarm in many health circles.

Controversial Claims by RFK Jr.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the US Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suggested that antidepressants are more addictive than heroin. This allegation has been repeatedly rejected as false.

He also suggested that antidepressants may contribute to school shootings. This claim has also been repeatedly rejected as false.

Deprescribing elevated into a movement is a clinical hazard.

May 2026 Date

Announcement of the MAHA Action Plan to Curb Psychiatric Overprescribing.

Official Stance on Medication Use

HHS officials stated that the plan aims to address overmedicalization rather than ban certain antidepressants altogether.

The plan focuses on reducing long-term medication use when it is no longer beneficial in improving patient outcomes.

Deprescribing elevated into a movement, and a cultural default, is a clinical hazard.
— Sunny Patel

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Sources

  1. statnews.comOpinion: MAHA is rewriting the vocabulary of American mental health care (opens in a new window)
  2. thelancet.com[Editorial] The right medicines for the right reasons (opens in a new window)
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