Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. launched a federal campaign in May to wean Americans off of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
Nearly one in six Americans reported last year that they were taking an SSRI, and Kennedy claims that they are overprescribed for the treatment of anxiety and depression.
Dr. Jonathan Slater, a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center, joins us to talk about the push by the government and why it only makes sense if alternatives to medication, like therapy, are equally accessible and affordable.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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