Sen. Tina Smith Criticizes HHS Secretary Over Psychiatric Drug Comments

Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) vocally confronted Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Thursday after he suggested that psychiatric medications prescribed to children might be linked to school shootings.

“I’m planning to discuss this issue in our grieving community. Just stop making outrageous claims. You should be dismissed,” Smith expressed on social media.

Kennedy has consistently argued that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)—a common type of antidepressant—are overprescribed, particularly in the pediatric population.

During a segment on Fox and Friends, co-host Brian Kilmeade asked Kennedy if his department was looking into the possibility that psychiatric medications for gender dysphoria could be associated with recent mass shootings.

Robin Westman, the identified shooter in Minnesota who claimed two young lives, was noted to have applied for a name change when he was just 17, based on court documents. This incident has led some online conservatives to link Westman’s gender identity to broader narratives about mental health issues among transgender individuals.

In his reply to Kilmeade, Kennedy asserted that his agency is “launching research into how SSRIs and various psychiatric treatments might be associated with violent behavior.”

Although SSRIs are prescribed for various mental health conditions—like anxiety and depression—they’re not specifically aimed at addressing gender dysphoria, yet many transgender people do experience these issues at notably elevated rates.

Kennedy also mentioned a controversial theory suggesting that environmental chemicals might contribute to boys feeling gender discomfort.

The recent tragic shooting has reignited a nationwide discussion on gun laws, mental health, and safety in schools, right as millions of students prepare to head back to class this fall.

Smith and other Democrats contend that the focus from some conservatives on mental health and antidepressants detracts attention from the more pressing concern of gun accessibility. “There are around 400 million firearms in this country—more guns than there are people. In America, you’re ten times more likely to be shot in schools or playgrounds than in any other nation,” Smith said in another social media post.