Psychotropic Thunder

The Trump administration is finally willing to discuss mental health. But here’s the rub, it’s not their own, it’s yours. “Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday announced several initiatives intended to rein in the prescription of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, the most widely prescribed class of antidepressants, which he has described as exceptionally difficult to quit.” About one in six adults in America is on an S.S.R.I. (such as Zoloft, Lexapro, Paxil or Prozac), so it’s perfectly reasonable to have a national discussion about the benefits, side effects, possible overuse, and the difficulty getting off of this class of drugs. It’s just not perfectly reasonable to have that discussion led by a brain-wormed, raccoon genital removing, bear cub collecting, conspiracy-theorizing, measles promoting, quack like RFK Jr and a maddening administration that makes the use of psychotropics feel almost mandatory (not to mention their boss, whose acting out of a running list of symptoms makes it seem like he’s trying to turn the DSM into a one-man show). NYT (Gift Article): Kennedy Starts a Push to Help Americans Quit Antidepressants. I’d posit that the quickest way to decrease the popping of mental health drugs would be a blue wave during the midterms. Let’s reuptake this matter at that time.