In recent national news, the nephew of JFK was chosen by the senate to hold the office of health secretary. The vote itself was extremely predictable, as the senators essentially all voted along their party lines. This means that nearly all the democrats voted against him, and nearly all the republicans voted for him. The ending tally of the vote was fifty-three to forty-eight.
With this new development, Trump and RFK have already begun to make their first moves in the healthcare sphere, as RFK announced he plans to “address the possible overmedication of children and the risks of antidepressants.” This was paired with trump establishing the “Make America Healthy Again” commission, which he says will be “looking into whether anti-depressants are being overprescribed to children; Trump asked for a report that assesses “the prevalence of and threat posed by the prescription of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.”
This order is specifically targeted against SSRIs, or selective serotonin reuptake Zke inhibitors. Examples of SSRIs are Prozac, Lexapro, Paxil, and Zoloft. They are generally prescribed for addressing depression and general anxiety, and despite countless doctors stating that they are neither addictive and do not raise suicidal thoughts among teens, Kennedy has stated otherwise. While SSRIs can have side effects, such as nausea, headache and difficulty sleeping, Kennedy’s suggestion that they could be tied to violence is incorrect.
The increased attention on SSRIs by Kennedy and the president has prompted mental health advocacy groups to speak up in support of them. The drugs can often be life-saving, as it can prevent suicidal thoughts and can help people with severe depression or anxiety function on a daily basis and maintain social relationships.
