MAHA Commission Draws Swift Criticism, Condemnation
The Make America Healthy Again Commission created by executive order last week and chaired by new Health and Human Services Director Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has drawn immediate rebukes from medical and advocacy groups as well as ADDitude community members outraged by its use of stigmatizing language and attack on stimulant medication use for ADHD.
February 18, 2025
The Trump administration’s recently established Make America Healthy Again Commission has come under fire from medical experts and patient advocacy groups for singling out autism spectrum disorder and ADHD, saying the “over-utilization of medication” for those and other conditions “pose a dire threat to the American people and our way of life.”
The commission, which will be chaired by the newly confirmed director of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., a vocal anti-vaccine advocate, says it aims to end ADHD, autism, and other chronic health conditions with “fresh thinking on nutrition, physical activity, healthy lifestyles, over-reliance on medication and treatments, the effects of new technological habits, environmental impacts, and food and drug quality and safety.”
Almost immediately, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) condemned what it called the stigmatizing language and stated purpose of the commission, which established a 100-day mission to:
- “Assess the threat that over-utilization of medication” poses to children with chronic conditions like ADHD
- “Assess the prevalence of and threat posed by the prescription of SSRIs, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, stimulants, and weight-loss drugs” to children
- “Identify and report on best practices for preventing childhood health issues, including through proper nutrition and the promotion of healthy lifestyles”
- “Identify and evaluate existing federal programs and funding intended to prevent and treat childhood health issues for their scope and effectiveness”
- And other tasks detailed in the full commission announcement at additu.de/maha
Over the weekend, roughly 1,200 employees of the National Institutes of Health, the nation’s top biomedical research agency, and roughly 700 staff members at the Food and Drug Administration were dismissed from their jobs, according to The New York Times. “At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, two prestigious training programs were gutted: one that embeds recent public health graduates in local health departments and another to cultivate the next generation of Ph.D. laboratory scientists,” the Times reported today.
“We know from the evidence and from our own clinical practice that the psychiatric drugs mentioned in the order, when prescribed and used as directed by properly trained psychiatrists, are safe, effective, and in some cases, lifesaving,” wrote APA CEO and Medical Director Marketa M. Wills, M.D., in an email to members on February 14. “APA stands for evidence-based science and will protect the treatments and practices that are so vital to many children and adolescents suffering from mental and substance use disorders.”
In its own statement, the autistic advocacy group ASAN wrote: “The proposed plan is full of attempts to research thoroughly debunked science, states goals that run counter to the actual actions taken by the administration, and spreads misinformation about autism. ASAN disapproves of the proposed plan, and will be joining efforts to push back against its harmful ideas, as well as the harmful policies proposed by the current administration…
“People with disabilities are not burdens; painting disabled people as burdens is ableist and presents disabled people as a ‘problem to be solved,’ rather than a group of people who deserve to be fully included in all aspects of society.”
Among ADDitude readers, the reaction was similarly swift and negative. Of 852 comments posted to Instagram over four days, roughly 9 out of 10 criticized the MAHA Commission and expressed worry and/or outrage. The following quotes received the greatest community reaction.
“I have so much to say about this commission as a physician, public health specialist, parenting coach and mom. I felt sick after reading it last night and enraged at the same time. Such a lack of insight. I don’t affiliate with either party, but this is a time when politics is targeting my own home and my children’s ability to thrive. I will speak up and out about that.” – @aparentlyparenting
“I’m not a child psychiatrist but have two neurodivergent kids. We limit screen time. They participate in several sports (on their schools’ sports team, practice two hours a day in the fresh sunshine and all that). We do CBT and family therapy, but meds are also necessary. This is stigmatizing medication for our kids.” – @drrupawong
“How are they supposed to study this if they cut funding to the NIH? The data will be skewed.” – @ristafarian
“Why don’t we take advice for actual physicians and pharmacists who know what they are talking about and have actually studied medicine!? I have ADHD, I take my medication, but I also work out two to three times a week running and lifting weights, I walk, I go to therapy, I journal, try mindfulness and manage the best I can. Even with all of these things (also eating healthy and have perfect bloodwork at 42), I still would struggle significantly without my meds.” – @kjacono
“Quite terrifying. If they want to MAHA, then provide affordable healthcare that includes coverage for mental health evaluation and treatment.” – @skipcoaching
“You know what would ‘Make America Healthy Again?’ Universal healthcare, livable wages, free education, bodily autonomy for women and trans folks, not removing critical information from the CDC’s website… Acting like any of this has to do with ‘health’ is preposterous!” – @stokedcoaching
“Further study is always great but using language like ‘over utilized’ and ‘threat’ is sickening. So what is the goal of this administration? First dismantle the Department of Education to limit our kids’ protections and rights to IEP and 504 services, now limit their med intake?! While also pulling out of health organizations that DO research? So who will be doing the research listed in this executive order? Who does this help? Make it make sense.” – @menagerie_mel
“I am appalled. As a late diagnosed ADHDer who relies on medication after trying to manage life without it for 35 years, doing all the healthy diet, exercise, blah blah blah stuff, and feeling completely inadequate and incapable….no.” – @katehreno
“Obviously bad news for those of us who have ADHD, but what a win for all the quacks who insist it’s made up or shouldn’t be medicated. They must be so excited to blame ADHD on vaccines or seed oils or working mothers or whatever else feeds their agenda. Maybe they can use this to promote their own unregulated supplements and turn a tidy profit.” – @theashleyclem
“You know what poses a threat to the American public? Unmedicated people with ADHD. Our jails are filled with people who could have used pharmacological interventions earlier in life.” – @skustra
“ADHD runs in my family, and I lost one cousin to ‘self-medicating’ and another to a horrific motorcycle accident due to impulsivity and thrill-seeking behaviors. Neither of them got the help they needed, and I wonder if they would still be here if they had. When my youngest started showing signs, we got him assessed and promptly medicated. He is safer now and his impulsive behaviors have drastically decreased. I am terrified that we are going to lose access to potentially life-saving medication.” – @life_is_weird4
“For decades, I was told I had anxiety and depression, and I tried every medication but nothing ever worked. I couldn’t finish college, I jumped from job to job, my emotions were constantly deregulated… Life felt overwhelming constantly. The day I started medication for ADHD my life changed. I have a job I love and thrive at, I feel in control, I have motivation, I don’t nap all day anymore, my mood swings are under control, I lost 60 pounds, and I am happier. The thought of my medication not being available to me is horrific and I can’t go back to how I was living.” – @zewingirl
“One thing. ONE THING gives me hope. Big pharma doesn’t want him to take their profits. And our meds? They’re VERY profitable.” – @eabroadbent
“I don’t see the harm in ‘assessing’ the use of medication and the possibility that dietary and lifestyle changes can also treat ADHD successfully in some cases. I don’t believe it’s an all-or-nothing situation and there’s nothing wrong with assessing how current treatments are working and if complementary or alternative treatments can be implemented to improve outcomes both from a psychological perspective as well as a financial standpoint.” – @faithology101
Read all of the ADDitude community comments posted to Instagram here.
