RFK Jr. Blames Gun Violence on Antidepressants After Minneapolis School Shooting: ‘We’re Launching Studies’

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has linked the recent church shooting in Minneapolis — which left two children dead and 18 others injured — to SSRIs, a class of antidepressants. However, medical experts stress that the evidence does not support his claim.

During an appearance on Fox & Friends, co-host Brian Kilmeade asked Kennedy whether the government might investigate medications used for gender dysphoria in relation to violent crimes. Kilmeade referenced Annunciation Catholic School shooter Robert Westman, who was assigned male at birth and legally changed their name as a teenager to reflect a female identity, according to NBC.

Authorities have not confirmed that the shooter was taking SSRIs or any psychiatric medication. Still, Kennedy said the National Institutes of Health was “launching studies on the potential contribution of some of the SSRI drugs and some of the other psychiatric drugs that might be contributing to violence.”

“We can’t exclude those as a culprit,” Kennedy argued, adding that some medications carry “black box warnings that warn of suicidal ideation and homicidal ideation.”

While certain drugs include warnings about suicidal thoughts, none of the SSRIs on the market carry warnings about homicidal ideation. These medications are also not typically prescribed to people undergoing gender transition.

SSRIs — short for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors — increase serotonin levels in the brain and are the most widely prescribed antidepressants. More than 1 in 10 people use them to treat conditions such as depression and anxiety, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

“All the data suggest SSRIs are not the problem,” said Ragy R. Girgis, a professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, in an interview with The Washington Post.

Westman had written about struggles with depression, according to CNN, though it has not been confirmed whether he was taking an SSRI at the time of the shooting. Reports from Time noted that Westman expressed admiration for Adolf Hitler, studied mass shooters, and had graduated from Annunciation Catholic School before returning there to commit the attack.

Research shows that mood disorders themselves — not antidepressants — are typically linked to violent behavior. One study did find that a “small group of patients” became more violent while on SSRIs, but it emphasized that “a large majority of SSRI-users will not experience the outcome of violent crime.”

Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith strongly rejected Kennedy’s remarks, posting on X: “I dare you to go to Annunciation School and tell our grieving community, in effect, guns don’t kill kids, antidepressants do.

“Just shut up. Stop peddling b——-. You should be fired.”