Robert F. Kennedy Jr., serving as US Health Secretary, announced new federal initiatives to curb antidepressant prescribing at a Make America Healthy Again event. Despite experts debunking his claim that SSRIs are harder to quit than heroin, Kennedy repeated this false comparison, relying on personal anecdotes rather than scientific evidence.

Kennedy has long attacked SSRIs with dangerous assertions, suggesting they cause violence and mass shootings. Mental health experts condemned his rhetoric when he claimed quitting antidepressants is more difficult than quitting heroin. Research shows only about 15% experience discontinuation symptoms, with severe symptoms affecting just 3% of users.

The new initiatives include clinician training and de-prescribing guidance from CMS, which introduced a new billing code for stepping patients off medications. Medical groups like the American Psychiatric Association strongly objected to framing mental health as "overmedicalization," warning such stigmatization could lead to reduced treatment access and potentially increased suicide rates.