Kennedy presses ahead with plans to reduce antidepressant use

Lizzy leads STAT’s coverage of the FDA. Her stories explore the relationship between politics and science at the FDA, industry influence, and the agency’s ability to protect and promote public health. Confidential tips can be sent on Signal at lizzylaw.53.

WASHINGTON — Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is pressing forward with his effort to help Americans stop taking psychiatric drugs, a medical practice known as deprescribing.

Earlier this month, dozens of mental health professionals met with federal health officials to map out forthcoming clinical guidance they hope will help providers instruct patients on how to come off of antidepressant medications. While the Department of Health and Human Services has discussed plans to hold such a meeting, the outlines of the discussion haven’t been reported.

During those talks, they reviewed guidance from European nations and worked on recommendations for nonmedication-based options for patients to address their mental health, such as therapy. A senior HHS official said they discussed gaps in the research around deprescribing SSRIs, including the side effects a person may experience, which vary depending on the drug and how long the person was on it, and how to recognize the difference between those side effects and a return of a patient’s depressive symptoms.