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Kennedy Jr. Announces Patient-Centered Shift From Routine SSRIs

5/5/2026

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Summary

Story summary

The administration launched a plan to shift antidepressant treatment away from routine SSRI use toward broader, patient-centered options.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the initiative on May 4, 2026, at a Mental Health and Overmedicalization Summit run by the MAHA Institute.
In 2026, 16.6 percent of U.S. adults—about one in six—reported taking an SSRI.
The summit stressed transparency and clear pathways for discontinuing SSRIs.

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Story summary

The administration launched a plan to shift antidepressant treatment away from routine SSRI use toward broader, patient-centered options.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the initiative on May 4, 2026, at a Mental Health and Overmedicalization Summit run by the MAHA Institute.
In 2026, 16.6 percent of U.S. adults—about one in six—reported taking an SSRI.
The summit stressed transparency and clear pathways for discontinuing SSRIs.