Why the push to “deprescribe” antidepressants is suddenly in the spotlight
This preview, based only on the episode notes, looks at how Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s comments are drawing attention to a difficult medical question: how patients stop psychiatric drugs. The episode appears to explore the growing “deprescribing” movement and the concerns it raises for doctors and patients.
This episode preview suggests a timely conversation about a part of mental health care that gets less attention than starting treatment: ending it. According to the show notes, the episode centers on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s latest public health push, in which he questions why so many Americans remain on psychiatric medications far longer than originally intended. From there, the discussion appears to widen into a broader issue in medicine: doctors may have clearer systems for prescribing drugs than for helping patients safely stop taking them. The featured guest is New York Times mental health reporter Ellen Barry, who takes listeners inside the growing movement to “deprescribe.” Based on the notes, that likely means the episode examines how some patients are trying to taper off medications, why they may feel they have to navigate that process themselves, and why this has become such a charged topic. The background reading linked in the notes adds another layer: some psychiatrists worry that Kennedy’s call to rein in antidepressant use could push patients away from care. That tension may be the main reason to listen if you want a clearer sense of the debate—not just whether antidepressants are overused, but how medicine handles long-term treatment, patient autonomy, and the risks of stepping back from care. If you’re interested in mental health policy, prescribing culture, or the politics around psychiatric treatment, this sounds like an episode worth queuing up.
About this episode
<p>In his latest public health crusade, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary, is asking why millions of Americans have been taking psychiatric drugs for far longer than ever intended.</p> <p>In the process, he’s highlighting an open secret in medicine: that doctors are better at starting drug treatments than at stopping them, and that patients who want to end their treatment are increasingly taking matters into their own hands.</p> <p>Ellen Barry, a mental health reporter, takes us inside the growing movement to “deprescribe.”</p> <p>Guest: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/ellen-barry" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Ellen Barry</strong></a>, a reporter covering mental health for The New York Times.</p> <p>Background reading: Some psychiatrists fear that Mr. Kennedy’s call to rein in the use of depression medications will <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/24/science/rfk-jr-antidepressants-ssri-psychiatry.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">drive patients away from care.</a></p> <p>Photo: Darren Staples/Reuters</p> <p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily" rel="noopener noreferrer">nytimes.com/thedaily</a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. </p> <p><p>Subscribe today at <a href="http://nytimes.com/podcasts">nytimes.com/podcasts</a> or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher">https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher</a>. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.</p></p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>