Antidepressant use has skyrocketed among young people in recent years, and that’s drawn the attention of the public health establishment.

SSRI drugs, a type of antidepressant, were originally intended for adults. But in the three decades since Elizabeth Wurtzel’s landmark memoir Prozac Nation hit shelves, prescriptions have become far more common.

One study found that antidepressant prescriptions for young adults and teens increased by nearly 64 percent after the coronavirus pandemic. Teen girls saw the biggest increase, while prescriptions actually dropped for boys.

Some attribute the rise to social media, which has increased awareness around mental health, but has also led young people to diagnose themselves with disorders they might not have.

Antidepressants can be lifesaving for people who need them. For others, they can create new problems, triggering feelings of lethargy, emotional numbness, and reduced sexual desire. And they don’t work for about half of the patients who take them.

Going off antidepressants can also have unwanted side effects, including milder symptoms such as dizziness, headache, nausea, insomnia, and irritability, and more extreme symptoms such as violent behavior and suicidal ideation. Depression relapse is also common.

Critics argue that we lack long-term data on the effects of these drugs on brain development. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s health and human services secretary, is a long-time critic of antidepressants and has called for more research into their efficacy. He’s also made false claims linking their use to mass shootings.

Today, Explained host Noel King spoke with........

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