In a New York Times Opinion podcast, writers David Wallace-Wells and Dr. Rachael Bedard discuss the national debate over S. S. R.

I. antidepressants with psychiatrist Dr. Anthony Rostain. One in six Americans takes antidepressants, prompting criticism from figures like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Health and Human Services commissioner, who argues the drugs are overprescribed, particularly to children, and advocates for holistic alternatives like exercise and nutrition. Dr. Bedard, a primary care physician who has worked at Rikers Island and a homeless clinic, acknowledges prescribing S.

S. R. I.s thousands of times, often because patients lack access to talk therapy. Dr. Rostain, chair of psychiatry at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, notes that S.

S. R. I.s, first FDA-approved in 1987, ushered in a new era of psychopharmacology.

The conversation highlights the tension between population-level concerns about overmedication and the clinical reality of treating patients with severe comorbid conditions when resources are scarce.