| |  | The Lead Brief | Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wants to tackle what he says is the overuse of psychiatric medications, particularly in children, but the efforts could leave doctors and patients caught in the middle, writes Ariana Eunjung Cha from The Washington Post newsroom. Patients and some researchers say the medical establishment has long underestimated how difficult it can be to stop taking antidepressants, even as their use has become widespread and long-term. Antidepressants are among the most commonly prescribed drugs in the United States. A recent study found roughly 1 in 6 adults takes one, while data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows about a quarter of patients have been on them for a decade or longer. Kennedy’s focus has been on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, that work by making certain mood-related chemicals more available in the brain. As Ariana reports, the medications are among the pharmaceutical era’s defining success stories, and they have helped millions of people. But there is a concern about longer-term use and the challenges with discontinuing the medications once patients’ mental health stabilizes. Researchers say many patients remain on the drugs because doctors continue renewing prescriptions once symptoms stabilize — while alternatives, such as therapy, can be costly or difficult to access. The result is a system that keeps some patients on medications longer than necessary while bypassing others who never receive them at all, Gerard Sanacora, a Yale professor of psychiatry who directs the university’s Depression Research Program, told Ariana. While some scientists argue the administration is overstating the potential harms of SSRIs or missing nuance in its critiques of the medications, they also admit that the underlying concern is real. “The gap in scientific knowledge has allowed a kind of polarized discourse” about the potential problems of SSRIs, Awais Aftab, a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Case Western Reserve University, told Ariana. “Some people dismiss them, and others try to exaggerate them, turning them into a panic,” Aftab said. The truth, he added, probably lies somewhere in between. Read the full story: “They’re among the most-prescribed drugs in America. Now they’re facing new skepticism.” What to watch: Kennedy recently announced the administration will study “deprescribing” psychiatric drugs and develop guidance for tapering off of them — which could divide psychiatrists, patient advocates and the drug industry. Policymakers have long expressed a goal of expanding access and affordability to behavioral health treatment amid elevated rates of depression and anxiety. A study published last year found that an estimated 19 percent of American adults — or nearly 54 million people — experienced symptoms of anxiety, depression or both in 2024. Nearly 19 million people reported never speaking with a health care professional about it. Kennedy’s push could force regulators, insurers and providers to grapple with how to help patients access mental health services or discontinue psychiatric medications safely. Tapering slowly off these medications — which often helps prevent withdrawal symptoms including “brain zaps,” dizziness and irritability — could be improved with compounded medications with customized dosages or liquid formulations that may not be consistently covered by insurers. It can also be difficult for patients to find counseling or therapists that are in-network with insurance plans — this despite efforts to strengthen mental health coverage parity rules. | 
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