The MAHA Report, part of the Make America Healthy Again Commission, has been criticized for referencing at least seven fictitious sources. Notably, a fictitious study on adolescent anxiety allegedly authored by Katherine Keyes does not exist. She confirmed to NOTUS that neither she nor her colleagues were involved with the cited work. Similarly, psychiatric researcher Robert L. Findling was incorrectly attributed as an author of another cited study. The inaccuracies raise serious questions about the report's reliability in addressing issues in the U.S. health system.
Epidemiologist Katherine Keyes is listed in the MAHA report as the first author of a study on anxiety in adolescents. When NOTUS reached out to her this week, she was surprised to hear of the citation.
It's not clear that anyone wrote the study cited in the MAHA report. The citation refers to a study titled, Changes in mental health and substance abuse among US adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a section of the report that examined the rise in direct-to-consumer drug advertisements that has led to more prescriptions being written for ADHD medications and antidepressants for kids, a study conducted by psychiatric researcher Robert L. Findling was cited.
At the time of writing, Findling was a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University. A university spokesperson confirmed Findling had never authored the report listed.
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