Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the newly appointed head of the Department of Health and Human Services, has questioned the effectiveness of several drugs used to treat mood disorders, depression, and anxiety. Shortly after taking office, Kennedy released a statement outlining his plans for the first few months of President Donald Trump’s administration. One of his priorities includes investigating the potential dangers associated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a class of drugs that includes Prozac, Lexapro, and Zoloft.
Over 13% of Americans over 18 use SSRIs to manage mental health conditions. A UCLA study found that these medications significantly reduce suicide rates, despite potential side effects and limitations for some patients. However, Kennedy has frequently criticized SSRIs, referring to users as “addicts” and claiming “tremendous circumstantial evidence” links these drugs to school shootings. He made these remarks during a 2023 livestream with Elon Musk, adding fuel to the controversy.
The Senate confirmed Kennedy’s appointment with support from 52 Republican senators and no Democratic votes. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky was the only Republican to oppose the nomination. McConnell, who faced health challenges due to childhood polio, emphasized the life-saving role of vaccines. Kennedy, a vocal vaccine skeptic, has downplayed the polio vaccine’s impact on nearly eradicating the disease. McConnell stated, “I’ve seen vaccines save millions of lives from devastating diseases across America and around the world. Neither I nor the millions of Americans who attribute their survival to scientific miracles will support the re-litigation of proven cures.”
Kennedy’s Unclear Plans for SSRIs
The White House released a statement titled “Establishing The President’s Make America Healthy Again Commission” on Thursday, but it failed to clarify Kennedy’s specific plans for SSRIs. During his presidential campaign, he proposed transferring individuals dependent on psychiatric medications to “wellness farms” in rural areas. He explained, “I plan on establishing these wellness farms where they can go to get off of illegal drugs, off of opiates, but also off of other psychiatric drugs, and if they want to, to get off of SSRIs, benzos, and Adderall. They can stay for as long as they need—three or four years if necessary—to learn to get reparented, to reconnect with communities.” Later, Kennedy clarified that participation would be voluntary.
Kennedy has openly discussed his past heroin use and compared SSRIs to the drug during his confirmation hearing. He stated, “I know people, including members of my family, who have had a considerably worse time going off of SSRIs than they have getting off of heroin.” Stanford University addiction researcher Keith Humphreys disagreed. He told NPR, “Antidepressants and heroin are in different worlds when it comes to addiction risk. In my 35 years of working in addiction, I have met thousands of people who struggled with heroin or opiates but only a handful who claimed they were hooked on antidepressants.”
The Debate Over Mental Health Stigma
During Kennedy’s confirmation hearing, Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota challenged his past criticisms of SSRIs. Smith shared her personal experience with these medications, stating they “helped to clear my mind, get me back on track to being a mom, a wife, and a productive, happy person.” Kennedy responded, “Senator, you’re mischaracterizing my statements.” Smith fired back, “I am only putting into the record what you have said, Mr. Kennedy. These claims that you’ve made linking antidepressants to school shootings reinforce the prejudice that people with mental health disorders face daily. And I’m deeply concerned that this is yet another example of your history of Sharing Misleading and False Data that actually harms people.”