{"id":301721,"date":"2026-02-25T16:33:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T16:33:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/301721\/"},"modified":"2026-02-25T16:33:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T16:33:09","slug":"as-more-americans-embrace-anxiety-treatment-maha-derides-medications-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/301721\/","title":{"rendered":"As more Americans embrace anxiety treatment, MAHA derides medications"},"content":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Phillip Reese<\/a>\u00a0for KFF<\/a><\/p>\n

After a grueling year of chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation to treat breast cancer, Sadia Zapp was anxious \u2014 not the manageable hum that had long been part of her life, but something deeper, more distracting.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery little ache, like my knee hurts,\u201d she said, made her worry that \u201cthis is the end of the road for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

So Zapp, a 40-year-old communications director in New York, became one of millions of Americans to start taking an anxiety medication in recent years. For her, it was the serotonin-boosting drug Lexapro.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love it. It\u2019s been great,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s really helped me manage.\u201d<\/p>\n

The proportion of American adults who took anxiety medications jumped from 11.7% in 2019 to 14.3% in 2024, with most of the increase occurring during the covid pandemic, according to\u00a0survey data<\/a>\u00a0from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That\u2019s 8 million more people, bringing the total to roughly 38 million, with sharp increases among young adults, people with a college degree, and adults who identify as LGBTQ+.<\/p>\n

Even as psychiatric medications gain public acceptance and become easier to access through telehealth appointments, the rise of a class of antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, known as SSRIs, has triggered a backlash from supporters of the \u201cMake America Healthy Again\u201d movement who argue they are harmful. Doctors and researchers say medications such as Prozac, Zoloft, and Lexapro are front-line treatments for many anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder, and are being misrepresented as addictive and broadly harmful even though they\u2019ve been proved safe for extended use.<\/p>\n

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has decried broadening SSRI use. During his Jan. 29 confirmation hearing, he said he knows people, including family members, who had a\u00a0tougher time quitting SSRIs<\/a>\u00a0than people have quitting heroin. More recently, he\u00a0said his agency is studying<\/a>\u00a0a possible link between the use of SSRIs and other psychiatric medications and violent behavior like school shootings.<\/p>\n

\"Cartoon<\/p>\n

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary\u00a0has also suggested<\/a>\u00a0that SSRI use among pregnant women could lead to poor birth outcomes.<\/p>\n

SSRIs\u2019 common side effects include\u00a0upset stomach, brain fog, and fatigue<\/a>. Some SSRIs also\u00a0can reduce libido<\/a>\u00a0and cause other sexual side effects.<\/p>\n

For many people, however, the side effects are mild and tolerable and the benefits of treating chronic anxiety are worth it, said\u00a0Patrick Kelly<\/a>, president of the Southern California Psychiatric Society. \u201cThe statements about SSRIs were just not grounded in any sort of evidence or fact,\u201d Kelly said of Kennedy\u2019s comments.<\/p>\n

A\u00a0recent comprehensive study<\/a>\u00a0showed that over half of people with generalized anxiety disorder taking an SSRI saw their anxiety symptoms reduced by at least 50%. Side effects prompted about 1 in 12 to stop taking an SSRI.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it\u2019s being done right and when you\u2019re also using appropriate therapy techniques, SSRIs can be really, really helpful,\u201d said\u00a0Emily Wood<\/a>, a psychiatrist who practices in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

MAHA Blames Anxiety on Poor Diet, Lack of Exercise<\/p>\n

Supporters of MAHA have partly blamed poor dietary choices and the increase of a sedentary lifestyle for the rise of a number of health problems, including anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders. As a remedy, they have called for measures such as reducing consumption of ultraprocessed foods, which\u00a0studies in<\/a>\u00a0recent years<\/a>\u00a0have connected<\/a>\u00a0to depression and anxiety, and cutting back on screen time in favor of exercise.<\/p>\n

Psychiatrists often encourage a\u00a0healthy diet<\/a>\u00a0and exercise as an\u00a0adjunctive therapy<\/a>\u00a0for\u00a0anxiety and depression<\/a>. Wood said those who can manage anxiety without medication should also consider talk therapy. The proportion of American adults using mental health counseling boomed from 2019 to 2024 as teletherapy grew in popularity, federal data shows. \u201cAnxiety disorders are amongst our psychiatric disorders that really respond well to cognitive behavioral therapy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

But medication can help.<\/p>\n

Studies show the risks of taking SSRIs during pregnancy\u00a0are low<\/a>\u00a0for\u00a0mother and child<\/a>. By contrast, \u201cdepression increases your risk for every complication for a mother and a baby,\u201d Wood said, adding that recent statements by government officials about SSRI use during pregnancy are \u201cpotentially leading to real harm for these women.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some people who stop taking antidepressant medication\u00a0will experience nausea, insomnia, or other symptoms<\/a>, especially if they quit suddenly. But \u201cthe concept of addiction simply does not apply to these chemicals,\u201d Kelly said, a statement\u00a0backed up<\/a>\u00a0by studies<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Sadia
\nZapp takes Lexapro, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, or SSRI. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has criticized such anxiety medications, claiming they are addictive and harmful. Health care clinicians say they have been proved safe, and they point to broader social changes to explain their increased use.<\/p>\n

Addiction, though, is a possibility with benzodiazepines such as Xanax that are often a second line of treatment for anxiety. These controlled substances can also\u00a0increase the risk of opioid overdose<\/a>\u00a0in patients taking both types of drugs. During congressional hearings last year, Kennedy also decried benzodiazepine overuse as a problem.<\/p>\n

While benzodiazepines are effective for short-term use, they require monitoring and care, Wood said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose are really great meds for acute anxiety and not great as long-term anxiety medications, because they are habit-forming over time,\u201d Wood said. \u201cIf you\u2019re taking them on a daily basis, you\u2019ll need more and more to get the same effect, and then you have to come down from them in a tapered way.\u201d<\/p>\n

And an\u00a0increasing number of people<\/a>\u00a0are also occasionally taking beta-blockers such as propranolol for anxiety. Some people use beta-blockers to prevent a racing heart before a public speech or other big moments, even though they are not FDA-approved for treating anxiety and are prescribed \u201coff-label.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beta-blockers\u00a0can cause dizziness and fatigue<\/a>, but they are \u201cnonaddictive, really helpful for bringing down the autonomic nervous system, going from fight or flight to something more neutral, and really safe,\u201d Wood said.<\/p>\n

Social Shifts Drive Increased Use of Anxiety Meds<\/p>\n

A number of\u00a0leading<\/a>\u00a0theories<\/a>\u00a0could explain why so many more people are taking anxiety medication,\u00a0including<\/a>\u00a0increased social media use, more isolation, and heightened economic uncertainty, physicians and researchers say.<\/p>\n

Plus, the medicines are relatively easy to get. Many people obtain SSRI and benzodiazepine prescriptions from their primary care physician. Others obtain the medications\u00a0after a brief teletherapy appointment<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Many social media influencers\u00a0talk about<\/a>\u00a0their<\/a>\u00a0mental health struggles<\/a>, easing some stigma among young people and encouraging them to get help. About a third of teens\u00a0in a recent study<\/a>\u00a0said they get mental health information via social media.<\/p>\n

Still, increased access to anxiety medication can be a problem when combined with a trend of self-diagnosis based on social media trends. A Google search for \u201cbuy Xanax online<\/a>\u201d leads to sponsored promises of same-day treatment, though fine-print disclaimers clarify that a prescription is not guaranteed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think increased access is good, but that\u2019s not the same thing as, you know, ordering Xanax online,\u201d Kelly said.<\/p>\n

Young adults are largely driving an increase in anxiety medication use. The proportion of Americans ages 18 to 34 taking anxiety medication rose from 8.8% in 2019 \u2014 the first year such survey data became available \u2014 to 14.6% in 2024. By contrast, the rate didn\u2019t change much among adults 65 and older, CDC data shows.<\/p>\n

The pandemic and covid lockdowns greatly increased stress among many American adults,\u00a0particularly young adults<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And data shows more women than men take anxiety medication.\u00a0Jason Schnittker<\/a>, a department chair and professor of sociology at the University of Pennsylvania, said that\u2019s because they\u2019re more likely to need them. They are also likelier than men to report when they feel anxious, and doctors are \u201cinclined or see anxiety more readily in their female patients than their male patients,\u201d Schnittker added.<\/p>\n

TK<\/p>\n

Broader trends could also be at work. Schnittker said studies have shown anxiety growing more prevalent among ensuing generations for much of the 20th and 21st centuries. Schnittker, author of\u00a0Unnerved: Anxiety, Social Change, and the Transformation of Modern Mental Health<\/a>, said growing income inequality could be partly to blame, with people feeling stress over improving their economic status. Social and religious activities have been replaced by more isolation. And people have become more suspicious of others, creating a sense of unease around strangers.<\/p>\n

For Zapp, the cancer survivor, it took a few months on Lexapro before she started seeing clear results. When she did, she said, it felt like her mind was less noisy, making it easier to focus. She also underwent talk therapy, but now her chronic anxiety is stabilized on medication alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt definitely helped me get back to my day-to-day in a way that was productive and not just riddled with my anxieties throughout the day,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"Sadia
\nZapp, a communications director in New York, is one of millions of Americans to start taking an anxiety medication in recent years. \u201cIt\u2019s really helped me manage,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

KFF Health News\u2019 Holly Hacker, Maia Rosenfeld, and Lydia Zuraw contributed to this report.<\/p>\n