RFK Jr. Launches National Study on Antidepressants and School Violence After Minneapolis Shooting

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. has initiated a new National Institutes of Health (NIH) study to investigate whether psychiatric medications, including SSRIs, may play a role in violent behavior. 

The announcement follows the recent school shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, in which 23-year-old Robert “Robin” Westman killed two children and injured several others before taking his own life.

In a Fox News interview, Kennedy explained the purpose of the study. 

“At NIH, we’re launching studies on the potential contribution of some of the SSRI drugs and some of the other psychiatric drugs that might be contributing to violence,” he said, noting that many psychiatric medications carry black box warnings highlighting possible suicidal or homicidal thoughts.

Kennedy has previously drawn connections between antidepressants and mass shootings. 

During his confirmation hearings, Kennedy emphasized that while firearms have long been accessible, the introduction of psychiatric medications coincided with a rise in school attacks. 

He suggested that other potential factors, such as social media, should also be examined alongside antidepressants.

This NIH study aligns with the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) commission, established under President Donald Trump, which investigates the prevalence and risks of SSRIs, antipsychotics and mood stabilizers in acts of violence, Newsweek reports. 

Kennedy remarked, “I know people, including members of my family, who’ve had a much worse time getting off of SSRIs than they have getting off of heroin.”

The announcement was met with criticism from Democratic lawmakers. 

Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota called Kennedy’s comments “peddling bullsh*t” and argued that the focus should remain on firearms and school safety.

Medical experts caution against overstating the link between psychiatric drugs and violent acts. 

Dr. Ragy Girgis, an associate professor at Columbia University, told USA TODAY, “SSRIs, and psych meds in general, are not responsible for mass shootings or violence in any way. These psych meds have specific anti-violence properties.” 

Previous research notes that while rare acts of aggression have been associated with certain medications, most mass shooters have no documented antidepressant prescriptions.

SSRIs are widely prescribed for conditions such as depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD and social anxiety. 

They work by increasing serotonin levels in the brain, which stabilizes mood and improves communication between nerve cells. 

While generally safe and effective, SSRIs can cause side effects, including nausea, headaches, sleep disturbances, sexual difficulties, emotional blunting and, in rare cases among those under 25, increased suicidal thoughts.

Kennedy and other conservatives argue that examining psychiatric drugs is essential to understanding broader causes of violence, particularly in schools. 

He told Fox News, “There was no time in the past when people would walk into a church or a classroom and start shooting people. It’s not really happening in other countries; it’s happening here. And we need to look at all of the potential culprits that might be contributing to that.”

Officials emphasize that the study is not intended as an indictment of mental health treatment but as a comprehensive evaluation of risk factors. 

The goal is to inform public policy that protects children in schools and other public spaces while providing a more complete understanding of what contributes to acts of violence.

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