CDC To Utilize “Most Comprehensive Data” To Analyze Connection Between SSRIs And Mass Violence
Updated
The CDC will be analyzing the potential connection between SSRIs, an antidepressant pharmaceutical medication, and mass violence, according to a statement on X by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He said the CDC will use the “nation’s most comprehensive data” to finally analyze the “long-taboo question.” Secretary Kennedy has alluded to a potential connection between SSRIs and mass shootings, but has received substantial pushback.
Dr. Ragy Girgis is a researcher who has created a database that tracks mass murders while excluding cases of gang or systemic violence. The database dates back to 1900, and the vast majority of cases in the database are from before the widespread prescription of SSRIs started in the 90s, and especially ramping up around the year 2000, as it was given as a first-line treatment for depression starting in 1987. More than a third of children aged 12-18 have now taken SSRIs at some point in their lives.
Girgis told FactCheck.Org “There’s no relationship between SSRIs and mass shootings.” Girgis did not mention the limitations of the database in determining whether there is a potential link between SSRIs and violent behavior. Girgis has also received research funding from pharmaceutical companies – Otsuka, Allergan, BioAdvantex, and Genentech. Allergan manufactures two SSRI products – Lexapro and Celexa.
Secretary Kennedy linked to a thread by A Midwestern Doctor stating “When SSRIs came out, the FDA was deluged with reports of suicide, homicide, and mass shootings caused by those ‘antidepressants.'” Lawsuits then revealed the industry knew that risk, but, just like now, the FDA hid it from the public.”
A Midwestern Doctor also linked to a Substack article titled “Decades of Evidence SSRI Antidepressants Cause Mass Shootings.” The article explains the argument that those who take SSRIs already have a depressive medical condition, essentially making it impossible to link the violent behavior to the medication rather than the pre-existing mental health condition. A Midwestern Doctor provided dozens of case examples of violent mass shootings in which the suspects acted out of character while on the medication or experiencing withdrawals from stopping the medication. The article also points out the black box warning regarding increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors wouldn’t exist if there wasn’t a proven degree of causality.
CNN reported that there is no scientific evidence of a causal or correlation between antidepressants and violence. Dr. Keith Humphreys, Stanford professor in the behavioral sciences department, was quoted by CNN stating, “The odds that (mass shootings are) caused by SSRIs, when tens of millions of people are on them, seems pretty darn low to me. Even if 1% of people on SSRIs were going to do a mass shooting, we would have mass shootings every 10 minutes.”
Secretary Kennedy has not claimed that there is a causal link between SSRI use and mass shootings, nor did he say every individual on this class of antidepressant drugs is going to exhibit extreme violent behavior. Instead, Kennedy said there is circumstantial evidence and not enough scientific studies looking at the potential link.
Secretary Kennedy has also received heat for allegedly backtracking his statements regarding Tylenol’s connection to Autism Spectrum Disorder. Reuters and USA Today both reported that President Trump and Secretary Kennedy, “neither of whom is a doctor,” cautioned against the use of Tylenol without providing scientific evidence. Neither article mentions that the same press conference included statements by FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary, who referenced a study with researchers from Johns Hopkins and another study with researchers from Yale, Columbia, and Harvard that points to an association between Tylenol use and ASD.
Jefferey Jaxen reported for The HighWire in July about the open panel discussion about SSRIs that was hosted by Commissioner Makary. The panel discussed the purpose of SSRIs, the potential harms, and how to provide proper informed consent for patients who are prescribed this kind of medication.
Dr. Roger McFillin, Psy.D., explained that treating depression as an illness causes the healthcare industry to medicalize emotional experiences and all aspects of the human experience. McFillin said there is no objective test and it relies upon self-evaluation.
“You can’t fundamentally provide informed consent, which is a legal and ethical imperative unless you’re willing to ask some of the difficult questions,” McFillin said. “If there essentially is no chemical imbalance, where a lot of the data is going to suggest that, we’re fundamentally experimenting on developing brains. We’ve changed our collective consciousness. We’ve brought things into the lexicon that previously were not there.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) lists SSRIs as a first-line treatment for depression and anxiety. The state of Illinois is now requiring mandatory mental health screenings for all students after Governor JB Pritzker signed an executive order in August. The AAP followed suit shortly thereafter. The PHQ-9 mental health questionnaire was created by Pfizer, which is among the many pharmaceutical companies that has provided funding to the AAP.
“If you want to increase the amount of people who identify with depression or anxiety – if you want to increase suffering, you fundamentally get people to battle their own internal experiences,” McFillin said. “You learn not to trust your emotions. You judge them as a symptom. You develop fear around them. Which is exactly what we’ve been doing in the United States for the last 35 years.”
Jaxen referenced a 2022 study that concluded “Our comprehensive review of the major strands of research on serotonin shows there is no convincing evidence that depression is associated with, or caused by, lower serotonin concentrations or activity.” Jaxen explained that the FDA is trying to add a black box warning so that doctors have the full information and can provide informed consent to their patients, including pregnant mothers.