In the aftermath of a tragic mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, the national debate over gun violence, mental health, and political rhetoric has reached a fever pitch. On August 28, 2025, Robin Westman opened fire during a morning mass, killing two children and injuring eighteen other worshippers before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The incident, which occurred next to Annunciation Catholic School as students and families gathered to mark the beginning of the academic year, has left the local community devastated and reignited contentious discussions at the highest levels of government.
Just one day after the shooting, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared on Fox News and suggested, without any supporting evidence, that antidepressant medications—specifically selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)—could have played a role in the attack. According to Axios, Kennedy stated, "We're launching studies on the potential contribution of some of the [selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor] drugs, and some of the other psychiatric drugs that might be contributing to violence." He added, "You know, many of them on there have black box, black box warnings that warn of suicidal ideation and homicidal ideation. We can't exclude those as a culprit, and those are the kind of studies that we're doing."
This claim, coming on the heels of the tragedy, was quickly echoed by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who told reporters that Kennedy would be investigating potential links between antidepressant use and violence among minors. Yet, law enforcement officials have not directly linked mental health issues or psychiatric medications to the cause of the shooting, and no information has been released indicating whether Westman was taking SSRIs or any other type of antidepressant.
Kennedy’s remarks are not new. As reported by The Independent, he has a history of speculating—again without evidence—that psychiatric drugs are a factor in mass shootings. In 2023, Kennedy told comedian Bill Maher that school shootings began "with the introduction of these drugs, with Prozac and the other drugs." He also made the widely debunked claim during his Senate confirmation hearing that SSRIs are as addictive as heroin, a statement contradicted by extensive research.
Medical experts and mental health advocates have responded to Kennedy’s renewed focus on antidepressants with alarm. Keith Humphreys, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University, told Axios, "SSRIs are overwhelmingly safe, and equating SSRI users with a violent act risks unnecessarily stigmatizing mental health conditions." He emphasized that people with depression, anxiety, or schizophrenia exist in every country, but the difference in the United States is the ease of access to firearms. "There are depressed people, people with schizophrenia, anxious people in every other country, but they can't get guns as easily as you can get them here. And so I think it's a distraction for the real issue. Anybody can have these problems, but in most countries, they couldn't get their hands on a bunch of firearms. And so I feel it's distracting."
The scientific consensus is clear: SSRIs and other antidepressants are safe and effective treatments for anxiety and depression in children and adults. A 2019 study from Stanford University found these medications to be both safe and beneficial for young people struggling with mental health challenges. The focus on psychiatric drugs as a potential cause of mass shootings, critics argue, diverts attention from more pressing issues—most notably, the proliferation of guns.
Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota, whose district includes Annunciation Catholic School, offered a blistering response to Kennedy's comments. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Smith wrote, "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 bullshit. You should be fired." Smith has been open about her own experiences with depression and the positive role that SSRIs played in her recovery. During Kennedy’s confirmation hearings, she told him, "I think that everyone should have access to that care and I think everyone should have access to that care and your job as secretary is to expand that access to that care, and not to spread lies and misinformation."
Smith’s remarks were echoed by 314 Action, a group that recruits candidates with scientific backgrounds for public office. Executive Director Erik Polyak stated, "RFK Jr. has a sick and twisted view of the world. Instead of promoting mental health and addressing the chronic crisis of gun violence in this country, he’s doubling-down on disinformation. SSRIs and anti-depressants are safe and tested medications. They are prescribed all over the world, but America is the only country with a mass-shooting problem."
The controversy over Kennedy’s statements comes at a time of turmoil within federal health agencies. Axios reported that on August 28, dozens of staff members at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) staged a walkout at the Atlanta office after the center's director, Susan Monarez, was reportedly ousted in response to federal pressure to align with President Trump's "Make America Healthy Again" movement. Monarez’s attorneys, however, said she had not been fired, adding further confusion and unrest within the agency. Several top officials resigned in protest, highlighting a growing rift between career scientists and the current administration’s approach to public health.
Adding another layer to the political fallout, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Secretary Kennedy both used the Minneapolis shooting to attack transgender people, despite the fact—reported by The Advocate—that the overwhelming majority of mass shooters are cisgender men. This rhetoric has been widely criticized as misleading and harmful, shifting blame away from the broader issues of gun access and violence prevention.
Kennedy’s repeated clashes with the medical establishment are well documented. He has previously promoted debunked theories about vaccine safety, fluorinated water, and food additives, drawing sharp criticism from health professionals and advocacy groups. According to The Independent, Kennedy has no formal background in health care, having worked primarily as an environmental lawyer before his appointment as Secretary of Health and Human Services.
As the Minneapolis community mourns and families struggle to process the trauma, the national debate remains as polarized as ever. The intersection of mental health, gun policy, and political messaging continues to shape public discourse, with scientific evidence and expert opinion too often drowned out by sensational claims and partisan rhetoric. For many, the tragedy at Annunciation Catholic Church is another painful reminder of the urgent need for solutions rooted in facts, compassion, and a commitment to preventing future violence.
While the search for answers continues, the voices of those most affected—the families, survivors, and local leaders—underscore the importance of focusing on real causes and real remedies, rather than scapegoats and distractions.
