Too many Americans on antidepressants? The problem isn't the drugs or the patientsAre too many Americans taking antidepressants?

One in six American adults takes antidepressants, making them one of the most prescribed drug classes in the country. Anxiety and depression have risen since the pandemic, and so have prescriptions. Which raises the question: are too many people on them?

The loudest voice saying yes belongs to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who launched an effort in May 2026 urging doctors to look beyond antidepressants and other psychiatric drugs where possible. A psychiatrist of 35 years' standing argues there is a grain of truth in this, but the full picture is far more complicated.

For mild depression, the pill may cost more than it's worth

The most common antidepressants are SSRIs, the first of which, Prozac, was approved in 1987. For moderate to severe depression they work. For mild depression they usually aren't warranted — the side effects can outweigh the benefits, and plenty of non-drug treatments exist.

The trouble is that 'depression' in everyday speech covers everything from a blah week to a clinical illness. Primary care clinics routinely screen with a questionnaire, but used on its own as a diagnosis it is easily misread: someone simply having a bad fortnight scores high and walks out with a prescription.

The prescriber often isn't a psychiatrist

A 2026 analysis found most U.S. antidepressant prescriptions are written not by psychiatrists but by primary care providers. They have less time to assess mental health, and less access to non-drug options such as talk therapy.

Clinics with behavioural health staff and psychiatric consultation tend to do better, but such collaborative care is still rare. Then there is human nature: given a daily pill versus a commitment requiring effort and intention, many will take the pill.

The fault lies in the system, not in any one person

The pandemic made remote care easy and let people sidestep the stigma of a mental health clinic. Before it, only 1 to 2 percent of antidepressants were prescribed via telehealth; by 2022, roughly a third.

So rising prescriptions are no surprise. Some people are taking medication they don't need — but many with serious depression still get little or no treatment. Overprescribing reflects systemic problems in American healthcare at least as much as doctors' habits or patients' requests: primary care can screen but not treat, and non-drug treatment gets almost no support.

Kennedy has claimed stopping antidepressants can be harder than quitting heroin. Research suggests such extreme effects are rare. After long-term use the brain adapts to a new balance, and most people do best tapering over weeks to months; about a quarter get withdrawal symptoms, severe for 3 percent. The point isn't whether you can stop. It's whether you have a knowledgeable doctor to talk it through with.