STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about an RFK Jr. push against psychiatric meds 18%

By Ed Silverman62%

7/13/2026, 6:08:34 AM

BS Summary: This article contains 12 faulty reasoning types, including Appeal to Authority, Unattributed Quote, and Biased Writer Voice, with Optimism Bias as the most egregious example at 29% saturation with 97 hits. Analysis detected 433 faulty-reasoning hits from 335 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 33.4% and a BS Rank of 18% (17,954 of 21,887 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 82.00% of the article peer group.

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to another working week. 
And of course, it is nice to see you again after we stepped away for a brief hiatus (and thanks to our pinch hitters last week). 
Not surprisingly, we are scurrying to catch up on events and way too many emails, but also making time for a cup of stimulation. 
Our choice today is maple bourbon. 
So please join us as we dig in. 
To that end, we have accumulated a brief menu of tidbits for you to peruse as you brace yourself for what lies ahead. 
We hope that all goes well and that you conquer the world. 
Meanwhile, do keep in touch. 
 
U.S. 
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. 
Kennedy Jr. is pressing forward with his effort to help Americans stop taking psychiatric drugs, a medical practice known as deprescribing , STAT reports. 
Earlier this month, dozens of mental health professionals met with federal health officials to map out forthcoming clinical guidance they hope will help providers instruct patients on how to come off of antidepressant medications. 
A senior HHS official said they discussed gaps in the research around deprescribing SSRIs, including the side effects a person may experience, which vary depending on the drug and how long the person was on it. 
The U.S. 
Food and Drug Administration ​approved a wearable form of Sanofi’s blood cancer drug, Sarclisa, offering multiple ‌myeloma patients a less burdensome alternative to intravenous infusions , Reuters writes. 
This becomes the first cancer drug approved by the FDA that can be delivered through an on-body injector, attached ​to the skin. 
Subcutaneous dosing can significantly reduce time spent in infusion centers for patients who receive repeated treatment courses, while also easing the strain on oncology clinics and nurses. 
The ​infusions can take up to three hours, while the median injection ​time for the wearable device is 13 minutes 
Continue to STAT+ to read the full story... 
Article reasoning-pattern comparisonThis article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 5.2%STAT: 3.4%Confirmation Bias0.0%This article: 6.0%Ed Silverman: 1.5%STAT: 1.3%Anchoring Bias6.0%This article: 8.4%Ed Silverman: 3.6%STAT: 3.9%Availability Heuristic8.4%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 1.0%STAT: 1.0%Representativeness Heuristic0.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 0.0%STAT: 0.4%Hindsight Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 0.3%STAT: 1.3%Overconfidence Bias0.0%This article: 10.7%Ed Silverman: 22.5%STAT: 8.2%Framing Effect10.7%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 0.6%STAT: 0.7%Loss Aversion0.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 1.4%STAT: 0.9%Status Quo Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 0.0%STAT: 0.2%Sunk Cost Effect0.0%This article: 29.0%Ed Silverman: 6.7%STAT: 3.3%Optimism Bias29.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 0.5%STAT: 1.8%Pessimism Bias0.0%This article: 6.9%Ed Silverman: 12.2%STAT: 8.5%Negativity Bias6.9%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 0.5%STAT: 1.1%Self-Serving Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 0.7%STAT: 0.4%Fundamental Attribution Error0.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 0.0%STAT: 0.1%Actor-Observer Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 0.3%STAT: 0.4%In-Group Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 0.0%STAT: 0.1%Out-Group Homogeneity Bias0.0%This article: 6.6%Ed Silverman: 1.0%STAT: 1.3%Halo Effect6.6%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 0.7%STAT: 0.1%Horn Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 0.0%STAT: 0.0%Dunning-Kruger Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 1.3%STAT: 1.6%Recency Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 0.5%STAT: 0.4%Primacy Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 0.0%STAT: 0.1%Blind-Spot Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 0.0%STAT: 0.4%Ad Hominem0.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 0.0%STAT: 0.4%Straw Man0.0%This article: 19.1%Ed Silverman: 6.6%STAT: 4.7%Appeal to Authority19.1%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 0.6%STAT: 1.5%False Dilemma0.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 0.0%STAT: 1.2%Slippery Slope0.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 0.0%STAT: 0.1%Circular Reasoning0.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 4.7%STAT: 4.6%Hasty Generalization0.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 0.0%STAT: 0.2%Red Herring0.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 0.3%STAT: 0.4%Bandwagon0.0%This article: 7.2%Ed Silverman: 6.6%STAT: 3.6%Appeal to Emotion7.2%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 1.2%STAT: 0.9%Begging the Question0.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 0.6%STAT: 2.2%Post Hoc (False Cause)0.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 0.0%STAT: 0.0%Tu Quoque0.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 0.3%STAT: 0.7%Burden of Proof0.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 0.0%STAT: 0.2%Appeal to Nature0.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 0.0%STAT: 0.3%Composition/Division0.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 0.0%STAT: 3.3%Anecdotal0.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 0.0%STAT: 0.1%No True Scotsman0.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 2.1%STAT: 2.1%Ambiguity (Equivocation)0.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 0.0%STAT: 0.0%Gambler’s Fallacy0.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 1.3%STAT: 0.3%Middle Ground0.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 0.0%STAT: 0.1%Personal Incredulity0.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 0.0%STAT: 0.1%Special Pleading0.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 0.0%STAT: 0.1%Genetic Fallacy0.0%This article: 15.5%Ed Silverman: 4.1%STAT: 1.5%Unattributed Quote15.5%This article: 3.6%Ed Silverman: 3.2%STAT: 0.9%Quote-first Misdirection3.6%This article: 14.0%Ed Silverman: 14.2%STAT: 6.0%Biased Writer Voice14.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 2.6%STAT: 2.1%Indoctrination0.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 0.9%STAT: 0.9%Politically Left Leaning Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Ed Silverman: 0.0%STAT: 0.2%Politically Right Leaning Bias0.0%This article: 2.4%Ed Silverman: 1.8%STAT: 3.3%Attempt to Sell a Product or S…2.4%

335 words analyzed.

Speakers

No attributed speakers were identified in this analysis.

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Analysis

Hover over highlighted words in the article to view the associated bias or fallacy analysis.