WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) along with U.S. Representatives Andrea Salinas (D-OR-06) and Becca Balint (D-VT-AL) led their colleagues in a bicameral letter demanding RFK Jr. rescind his past statements further stigmatizing mental health treatment, including comments that SSRI use can be linked to school shootings and that SSRIs are more addictive than heroin. Both claims have zero scientific evidence behind them and perpetuate harmful stereotypes. SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) such as Prozac, Zoloft and Lexapro, are one of the leading treatments for depression and anxiety and are used by nearly 32 million Americans each year.
“We write to express our deep concerns regarding the Make America Healthy Again Commission’s troubling characterization of mental and behavioral health medication and your recent comments promoting disproven and outright false theories about these important treatments. These statements further stigmatize the mental and behavioral health challenges that one in five Americans live with, and can have a chilling effect on Americans seeking scientifically sound, medically necessary, and appropriate care,” wrote the lawmakers.
“A mental health illness is exactly as the name says, an illness. Similar to a physical health condition or illness, sometimes medication is necessary for treatment. For individuals with mental illness, it is no different. In addition to therapy, medications may be necessary and appropriate. For individuals living with moderate or severe depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, or other conditions, medication can alleviate symptoms so they can function normally and have improved quality of life. We urge you to retract your harmful and false comments on mental illness and the usage of SSRIs. The American people want to see the federal government address the burden of mental and behavioral health challenges, for which there is much more bipartisan work to be done. But it is imperative that in doing so, we follow research and best practice guidance, and that harmful stereotypes and stigma are not reinforced,” lawmakers continued.
Secretary Kennedy has a long history of pushing harmful stereotypes around mental and behavioral health issues.
- Most recently, he directed the Department of Health and Human Services to assess the “threat posed by the prescription of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, [and] stimulants.” While the focus of this portion of the Commission is making children healthy, the characterization that these medications pose a “threat” will have far-reaching implications for Americans of all ages seeking and accessing mental health treatment and only serves to further stigmatize mental illness.
- He has implied a link between antidepressants and school shootings and pushed for the issue to be researched, even though a comprehensive analysis of FBI data from 2000-2017 found that the majority of school shooters were not previously treated with psychotropic medications, and of those who were, no direct or causal association was found.
- He falsely stated that SSRIs are addictive, saying at time they are more difficult to wean off of than heroin. Mental health professionals have widely denounced that characterization, including Keith Humphreys, a Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford, characterized antidepressants and heroin as existing in “different universes” in terms of addiction risk. Of course, like any medication, the usage and stoppage of SSRIs should be decision made between a patient and their provider with continued monitoring and consultation.
You can find full text of the letter here.
During Mr. Kennedy’s confirmation hearing, Senator Smith challenged him on his troubling comments around mental health and SSRI use and shared her own personal story of recovering from depression. Senator Smith has been a leader in the Senate on fighting to break down stigma around mental health challenges and making treatment more affordable and accessible for all Americans. Her Improving Access to Behavioral Health Integration Act was signed into law in 2023. She introduced the bipartisan Telemental Health Care Access Act to remove barriers to tele-mental health, the Mental Health Services for Students Act to strengthen school-based mental health services for students in kindergarten through 12th grade, and the Medicaid Bump Act to expand access to mental health services for low-income families and children, the elderly and people living with disabilities.
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