This week, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveiled a new initiative targeting what he described as the “overuse” of psychiatric medications as part of a broader push to confront the nation’s mental health crisis.
Speaking Monday at a Make America Healthy Again Institute summit, Kennedy said the effort will emphasize the appropriate deprescribing of psychiatric drugs while shifting care toward prevention and more holistic treatment approaches.
“Today, we take clear and decisive action to confront our nation’s mental health crisis by addressing the overuse of psychiatric medications — especially among children,” Kennedy said in a statement.
Among the drugs targeted in RFK, Jr’s latest push includes antidepressants, and a class of antidepressants known as SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors).
Studies have found that mass-prescribed antidepressants can come with a variety of long-term side effects.
Now, RFK, Jr. has a surprising endorsement for his latest push — Kamala Harris’ daughter.
Ella Emhoff, the 26-year-old stepdaughter of Kamala Harris, recently took to TikTok to express concern that she’s having difficulty coming off of SSRIs herself.
“I’ve been on SSRIs for over a decade, almost 15 years probably, and [now researchers are] calling out the lack of research on long-term use of these things,” she said to her 60,000-plus followers.
“…I’m just sitting here crocheting, waiting for a friend, and I was just listening to this podcast that The Wall Street Journal put out about SSRIs and anti-anxiety meds and kind of the over-prescription of them in America.
“And it was making me think a lot because I’ve been on SSRIs for over a decade, almost fifteen years probably, and they were calling out the lack of research on long-term use of these things.
“They were calling out the lack of information that doctors give about coming off of these meds and kind of the psychological effects they can have.
“And it really got me thinking how little I’ve thought about that, naively, obviously.
“But I’ve noticed that every time I’ve gone off of it for a week or missed it or for whatever reason, like, it has been really hard for me, and I’ve had a really hard time.
“And I guess this is just something I was wondering if you guys have thought about or relate to or kind of consider when you’re thinking about going on meds like that.
“Because I don’t know if this is something that I feel like is being talked about enough because I feel like so many of us are on these meds, and this is, like, actually happening.
“Like, people get off of them, and they kind of break down, and it can be really bad. So yeah, I guess I just want your general thoughts.”
Ella Emhoff, stepdaughter of former Vice President Kamala Harris, from 16 December last year:
"…I'm just sitting here crocheting, waiting for a friend, and I was just listening to this podcast that The Wall Street Journal put out about SSRIs and anti-anxiety meds and kind of… pic.twitter.com/qJTPK0emiw
— fireworks and confetti (@fworksconfetti) May 5, 2026
Emhoff’s revelation is at the cusp of RFK, Jr.’s latest MAHA movement.
“Too many patients begin treatment without a clear understanding of the risks, and how long they will stay on these drugs, or how to come off them,” RFK, Jr. said during the event earlier this week.
He also pledged, “We are going to fix it.” Kennedy’s department will encourage non-drug interventions for mental health issues and pursue reforms that would allow doctors to be paid to help people get off psychiatric drugs, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Emhoff’s account is one of many that younger Americans are coming forward with.
Some former SSRI users report that they experience emotional numbness, as well as even sexual disorders, after coming off the drugs.
The New York Post recently did a lengthy expose surrounding the impact of SSRIs.
Accounts included those of a young man named Nick, a 27-year-old who lives in New England, who began experiencing erectile dysfunction after going off antidepressants, apparently due to a newly recognized condition called post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (PSSD).
“That region feels as sensitive as the skin on the back of my elbow does,” Nick told The Post.
“Now there’s just no enjoyment in anything, like hobbies, or hanging out with my girlfriend, or watching a movie, or playing video games, my favorite thing to do, it’s all exactly the same. It’s like watching a brick wall,” he said.