Mark Olfson, MD, MPH wrote in JAMA Pediatrics, September 8, 2025, slamming the conclusions of the federal Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission chaired by the US Secretary of Health and Human Services, who happens to be the incompetent RFK Jr.

Olfson: “With the release of Make Our Children Healthy Again: Assessment, the federal Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission chaired by the US Secretary of Health and Human Services has elevated poor diet, environmental chemicals, physical inactivity, chronic stress, and medication overprescription as leading threats to the health of our nation’s children. The report could have far-reaching implications for the direction of federal policy and scientific research affecting the health of US children and could profoundly influence public perceptions of the causes of childhood chronic disease. For these reasons, it is important to carefully consider the extent to which this report presents a balanced assessment of available evidence.” Olfson concludes that IT DOES NOT.

The report is dangerous as it emphasizes side effects of psychiatric medication based on old, outdated information and does not cite or recognize the positive effects of FDA-approved medications. It also does not cite the huge amount of data that early treatment of childhood onset illnesses, such as depression, anxiety, ADHD, and bipolar disorder, is highly effective and can be life-saving.

Parents with a diagnosis of depression or bipolar illness themselves should be alert to early symptoms in their children and get appropriate psychotherapeutic and pharmacotherapeutic treatment. Parents can help physicians with recognition of illness and need for treatment by rating their child on a weekly basis for the severity of symptoms (mild, moderate, or severe) of anxiety, depression, ADHD, oppositional behavior, and mania. The forms for this are sent to parents every Sunday, and can be printed out longitudinally to make it easy for physicians to readily visualize the level of dysfunction. Informed consent and the rating forms are available at www.bipolar-news.org.

The opinions of RFK Jr. have already helped foster a measles epidemic and his belief that autism is caused by mercury in childhood immunizations has been thoroughly and repeatedly debunked. If RFK Jr. opinions are believed and followed, it will result in much poorer health of children. This is already much stigma that interferes with appropriate treatment of children, and the misinformation in the MAHA report will make this situation worse. Scientific studies of what works best for children with serious psychiatric illness need to be fostered and increased, not dismissed.

Parents and family members with these psychiatric illnesses know how debilitating the illnesses can be, and they should do everything they can to get their child early and appropriate treatment.

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