He claims that medications have been overprescribed.
Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has made prescriptions for childhood chronic diseases, like attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and depression, a focus of his preliminary review of U.S. healthcare policy.
Secretary Kennedy maintains that the drugs for these diseases are addictive and have been “insufficiently scrutinized,” moving forward with assertions previously made to the Senate Finance Committee.
“Fifteen percent of American youth are now on Adderall or some other ADHD medication. Even higher percentages are on SSRIs and benzos. We are not just overmedicating our children, we are overmedicating our entire population,” Secretary Kennedy told committee members during his nomination hearings.
The rate of childhood medication use is difficult to quantify, but the HHS secretary may have been referencing a 2023 survey, in which 15 percent of high school seniors self-reported using either a stimulant or nonstimulant ADHD medication.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Secretary Kennedy as he seeks to ensure the SSRIs are not harmful to the health of children and youth.
- For HHS officials as they review and assess the medications and their outcomes.
Sources: The Hill, USA Today
