>> Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Junior is creating plan to reduce the number of Americans on antidepressants.

He along with others in the Make America Healthy again an initiative claim the country has a problem with overprescribing psychiatric medications as the first line of defense against mental health conditions.

Instead, they want to emphasize holistic remedies like talk therapy, exercise and healthy eating.

Joining us now is Jim Pool, senior director of policy at the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Chicago.

Jim, thanks for joining RK Junior.

He's been openly critical of a selective serotonin re uptake inhibitors.

Ssri is not for a while.

Stating with the drugs are harder to wean off of than heroin and >> partially to blame for mass shootings.

not sure that there's a lot of research tobacco's out there, but are these something that we should be looking at more critically?

So I think it's important, though, that the research is not show those things that the speech had better be the secretary right?

>> These are very common medications that been around the 1950's.

They're pretty low.

So, you know, for decades, there are certainly side effects of medication, but we should be paying with a broad brush.

And I think our concern in on Chicago is that this reinforces sort of a medication stigma that people might feel.

There's something shameful about using a mental health medication.

And we know from our conversations every day, that's a really important tool for lots of folks in their recovery.

And it's life changing life saving for many of our To that point, do you think are Americans overprescribed ssrs?

>> I think that's dead.

no, I don't think that I think that the last to 6 I saw from 2024 where that about half of those diagnosed the mental health condition and United States did not receive treatment the previous year.

>> So I think we have a tremendous gap in our care system in this country.

There are many communities that don't have access.

No health care either cannot.

It has an affordable you can transfer yourself to it right?

There's that going on.

So I think overprescribing there's maybe something to talk about some niche of our system, but I'm not sure there's any argument to be made that what's happening in America's too much health care march.

So at my has mental health and over medical is Asian summit.

Last week RFK Junior talked about the country's mental health crisis.

>> United States that's not just face of mental health crisis.

We face a dependency crisis.

Craven by over medical is Asian.

This is a system level pattern.

Too many patients begin treatment without a clear understanding of the risks.

And how long they will stay on these drugs or had to come off of them.

And that's not informed consent.

We are going to fix it.

>> What's your reaction to the secretary's comments?

So I think everyone should have informed consent right before they begin medical to his point that everyone should be informed about possible side effects are contraindications of medication.

We are 100% in alignment with Secretary Kennedy on that.

However, that's the case for any medication and sort of painting with a broad brush over Sri not responsible.

And I really found medication.

I a literature.

I think he's also talking about dependency.

They're using that word.

And I think there is something about community that's very important to recovery and all of us as people, I think part of the reason we're having a mental health crisis is that we're seeing more loneliness, more social separation, less connecting this as a community.

People struggling more with having more stress.

And so I think that's also very that's a huge driver of this.

So I would just put on a individual medication that's sort of irresponsible >> what authority does at the same time?

This is the federal government to what authority does the federal government have prescription drugs to?

The FDA?

Is the regulator prescription drugs in the United States.

so they based on evidence, right?

So the FDA works.

secretary called Gold standard evidence, research to figure out what what is the best way to advise the public on medications?

And so the FDA certainly has a role here.

They should be grounded in science.

We don't want that to be going in rhetoric in opinion and will be think we might have make sure having science and research based clinical decision making on all of The department has said that it plans to develop guidelines for doctors to help with weaning and changes to insurance billing, which that's going to raise some eyebrows.

Do you have any concerns with that?

The potential changes that could be coming on board?

I I'm very concerned about people losing access, their medication arbitrarily, right.

And so I think any kind of blanket ban is certainly of great concern to us.

There are good reasons to pursue sort better better clarity on best practices for weaning people off medications and avoiding discontinuation symptoms do occur.

People to come on and off of these medications.

And so there is good reason make everything else that use make a point that he's there, which is there is grounds for research here and we do have to continue to develop and continues do science to improve mental health care and the medications are provided, as you mentioned.

And as the Centers for Disease Control and have also said we are in the midst of a mental health crisis in the United States.

Nearly 17% of American adults currently take SS arise or other antidepressants.

Prescription rates generally increase with age with just over 19% of adults over 60 using these medications.

>> And in 2023, 40% of U.S.

high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness.

What are the factors, Jim, that are contributing to these rates of depression and anxiety?

I wish I had a clear answer for your brand But the the it's many things altogether, right?

So there's been lots of hypotheses.

>> One is I think that we social media technology changes that have kind of brought more content into the eyes of young people perhaps create more stress morning puts that are that negative.

I think there's also I think we're also just better at talking about mental health in some or knowledge more certainly than I-20 years ago when I was I was turned 23 years going.

I was young.

I think some of that is right.

Dana, find more people, especially young people are speaking out more about and that part is good.

But I do think we are seeing like a higher prevalence of these things.

Also because of economic stress, there'd the patient, economy us is hitting lots of folks.

The more stress people have, the more that accelerates any kind of mental health challenges they're having.

As movement prioritizes natural or holistic remedies to treating meant treating mental illness like nutrition, physical activity, social connection.

>> Lifestyle changes think those be substituted for for medicine, for chemical changes.

Certainly not.

They're not a substitute in any way they can be enhancing to mental health care and the many people find them to be helpful.

>> I think that there's a lot literature around movement and mindfulness and things that can be really healing and restoring for people.

But they're not a replacement for medication when that's needed.

I don't think we should be shaming folks for using a medication pursuing medication exploring It's a very useful tool in for lots of folks that I've talked to.

It's life changing life saving for them and they would not know what they're honestly quite nervous.

And it's gonna be taken away from them >> What do you say to people who use these medicines?

What should they know to either ask their doctors as the federal government starts to move a move forward with this and what they know for themselves?

>> I mean, you know, that it's it's a process for this to happen.

They can't just summarily banned medications and so try to throttle some of that concern.

But I would talk your doctor about about your concerns you have and think about how you can stay on.

I don't think it's any near-term concern.

So nothing really the next year, probably.

But hopefully those of us and