HHS Secretary RFK Jr. Launches NIH Study on Antidepressants after Minneapolis Church Shooting

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the National Institutes of Health is launching studies to investigate the potential link between antidepressants, specifically selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and violent behavior following a deadly church shooting in Minneapolis. Kennedy suggested that some psychiatric drugs with black box warnings about suicidal and homicidal ideation might contribute to violence, though no evidence has been provided connecting the shooter, Robin Westman, to these medications. Critics, including Sen. Tina Smith and mental health advocates, condemned Kennedy's comments as misleading and harmful, emphasizing the role of gun proliferation in the tragedy rather than medication. The shooter, who identified as transgender, killed two children and injured several others before dying by suicide. Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy also faced backlash after implying SSRIs could be a factor in such shootings. Kennedy's focus on psychiatric drugs as a cause of mass shootings has sparked controversy amid ongoing debates over gun violence and mental health in the U.S.