In a recent interview, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suggested that antidepressants might have played a role in a tragic school shooting in Minnesota, pointing to the Black Box Warning on these medications. While it is true that the warning highlights the rare risk of increased suicidal thoughts in children and young adults early in treatment, some people mistakenly interpret this as evidence that antidepressants cause violence. In fact, there are no warnings or scientific data linking these medications to homicidal ideation or violent behavior.
In an article published in Psychology Today, Suzanne Bender, MD, a Staff Psychiatrist in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital and Assistant Professor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, emphasizes that the suggestion of a connection between antidepressants and violent behavior is not supported by medical evidence. She reviews the data surrounding the Black Box warning and highlights important research showing that the treatment of pediatric depression saves lives.
Dr. Bender raises concerns that misinformation could create confusion, shaping families’ and clinicians’ views of antidepressants in a way that makes them less likely to consider these medications for children and adolescents. And we have research to indicate that hesitation regarding the use of antidepressants in this population can have serious consequences. A recent systematic review (Health Affairs, 2023) found that following the FDA’s Black Box warning, there were unintended reductions in mental health care: fewer physician visits for depression, fewer diagnoses, fewer psychotherapy visits, and reduced use of antidepressants. Some studies have also documented increases in suicide deaths after the warnings were issued.
When considering the use of antidepressants in younger patients, it is essential to weigh the risks associated with a particular medication against the far greater dangers of untreated depression in this vulnerable population. Accurate, evidence-based information is critical; when warnings or claims are misunderstood or misrepresented, they can discourage both families and clinicians from seeking or providing effective care. Misinformation about antidepressants, particularly unfounded suggestions that antidepressants cause violent behavior, can fuel fear, stigma, and hesitation, ultimately leaving children and adolescents without the treatment they need
Read the entire article on Psychology Today: No, Antidepressants Do Not Cause School Shootings.
Suzanne Bender, MD is a Staff Psychiatrist in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital and Assistant Professor in Psychiatry, part-time, at Harvard Medical School. Within the Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology (GI) and Nutrition Department at MGH for Children (MGHfC), she is the Co-Director of the MGHfC Pediatric GI Psychiatry program. Dr. Bender is the co-author of the book Becoming a Therapist: What Do I Say and Why? which is used as a teaching text and was released as a second edition in 2022.
