NPR (5/7, Chatterjee) reports that as HHS plans to “wean patients off antidepressants, mental health advocates and psychiatrists say blaming the United States’ mental health crisis on overmedicalization and overprescription of psychiatric medications is an inaccurate portrayal of a complex problem.” Theresa Miskimen Rivera, MD, President of the American Psychiatric Association, told NPR, “It really is an oversimplification. And it really ignores the larger reality, which is that too many patients really cannot access timely, comprehensive care that is much needed for our nation.” Nevertheless, she “adds that she and the American Psychiatric Association support any plans to better train healthcare [professionals] to safely prescribe and wean patients off antidepressants.” Miskimen Rivera said, “We’re also very much in support of the Administration’s plans to further investment in research and the efforts to improve quality, safety [and] evidence-based mental health treatment.”
Related Links:
— “Psychiatrists say RFK Jr.’s take on SSRIs is an ‘oversimplification’ of the problem,”Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR, May 7, 2026