RFK Jr. Blames Gun Violence on Antidepressants After Minneapolis School Shooting: 'We're Launching Studies'
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed that SSRI medications contain warnings about homicidal thoughts, which mental health experts say is false.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. blamed the Minneapolis church shooting, which killed two children and injured 18 others, on SSRIs, a type of antidepressant medication—but experts say those drugs are "not the problem."
During an appearance on Fox & Friends, co-host Brian Kilmeade asked Kennedy if the government would look into medications that treat gender dysphoria in violent crimes, referring to Annunciation Catholic School shooter Robert Westman, who was born male and legally changed his name as a teen to reflect a female identity, according to NBC.
Despite no official confirmation that the shooter was on psychiatric medication or SSRIs, Kennedy announced that the National Institute of Health was "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."
We can't rule them out as a cause," Kennedy said, adding that some of the medication carries "black box warnings that warn of suicidal and homicidal ideation."
Although some prescription drugs warn of the risk of suicidal ideation, no SSRIs currently warn about homicidal thoughts. Furthermore, SSRIs are rarely prescribed to help people transition.
SSRIs, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, work by increasing serotonin levels in the brain. According to the Cleveland Clinic, they are the most commonly prescribed antidepressant, with more than one out of every ten people taking them to treat depression and anxiety.
"All the data suggest SSRIs are not the problem," Ragy R. Girgis, a professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University Department of Psychiatry and New York State Psychiatric Institute, said.
According to CNN, Westman wrote in a journal about his struggles with depression. It's unclear whether the shooter, who committed suicide after the murders, was on an SSRI. According to Time, Westman had a history of sympathizing with mass murderers, praised Adolf Hitler, and graduated from Annunciation Catholic School before opening fire on the children.
While mood disorders—the underlying reason for taking an SSRI—are what cause violence, not the medication itself, one study discovered that a "small group of patients" may become more violent while taking the medication. Nonetheless, the study stated that "the vast majority of SSRI users will not face the consequences of violent crime."
Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith responded to Kennedy's statements with a scathing post on X, writing, "I dare you to go to Annunciation School and tell our grieving community, in effect, guns don't kill kids, antidepressants do."
"Shut up. Stop peddling nonsense. "You should be fired."