The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission report, led by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., levels pointed accusations at the medical profession, particularly doctors, for being influenced by the pharmaceutical industry to overprescribe medications and for neglecting the root causes of disease. The report argues that physicians, often described as “well-intended,” are subject to pressures and incentives that prioritize pharmaceutical solutions over more holistic or preventive approaches to health.
Overprescribing Trends: The commission details dramatic increases in prescriptions for stimulants, antidepressants, antipsychotics, and other drugs among children, often without corresponding improvements in health outcomes. For example, stimulant prescriptions for ADHD reportedly surged by 250% over a recent period, while antidepressant use in teens increased by 1,400%, despite evidence that non-pharmaceutical interventions like psychotherapy may be more effective in some cases.
However, many physicians and mental health experts have pushed back, arguing that while overprescribing is a legitimate concern, medications remain essential for many children with serious mental health conditions and that the risks of untreated illness are also significant.
The pharmaceutical industry, represented by groups like PhRMA, has defended the role of medicines in improving children’s health and cautioned against framing them as the root cause of chronic disease.