Health Secretary Directs Effort to Develop Guidance on Stopping Antidepressants

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is advancing efforts to develop clinical guidance on deprescribing psychiatric drugs, including antidepressants. Earlier this month, dozens of mental health professionals met with federal health officials to outline recommendations for helping patients discontinue such medications.

The meeting, held under the Department of Health and Human Services, reviewed guidance from European nations and developed suggestions for non-medication approaches such as therapy. Participants also examined gaps in research on deprescribing SSRIs, including side effects that differ by drug and length of use, and methods to distinguish those effects from a return of depressive symptoms, a senior HHS official said.

HHS had previously discussed holding the session.

The July 13, 2026, STAT report by Chelsea Cirruzzo and Lizzy Lawrence first detailed the meeting's scope.