Vance Cites 'mental Health Crisis' In Remarks About Seeking Out 'root Causes' Of Mass Shootings

Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that it's clip to commencement asking reliable questions astir what's astatine nan bosom of wide shootings and appeared to link nan unit to what he called a "mental wellness crisis."

"We really do have, I think, a intelligence wellness situation successful nan United States of America. We return measurement much psychiatric medicine than immoderate different federation connected Earth, and I deliberation it’s clip for america to commencement asking immoderate very difficult questions astir nan guidelines causes of this violence," Vance said astatine an arena successful Wisconsin successful his first nationalist remarks astir Wednesday's religion shooting successful neighboring Minnesota, successful which two children were killed.

In an question and reply Thursday connected Fox News, Vance called nan shooter a "mentally deranged quality being."

Earlier successful nan day, successful a abstracted Fox News interview, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he has nan National Institutes of Health looking into links betwixt unit and antidepressants that are regularly prescribed to millions of group successful nan United States.

"We’re launching studies connected nan imaginable publication of immoderate of nan SSRI narcotics and immoderate of nan different psychiatric narcotics that mightiness beryllium contributing to violence," Kennedy said.

He didn't connection specifics astir nan research, erstwhile and really it would beryllium conducted aliases whether results would beryllium peer-reviewed. The Department of Health and Human Services didn't instantly respond to a petition for remark Thursday night.

SSRI is short for a people of narcotics called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. The antidepressants summation levels of serotonin, a chemic messenger successful nan encephalon that tin amended mood. Common versions see Lexapro, Prozac and Zoloft, which dainty conditions for illustration depression, worry and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said Thursday connected MSNBC that he doesn't person immoderate accusation astir immoderate erstwhile intelligence unwellness of nan shooter, identified arsenic Robin Westman, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. O'Hara added that Westman, 23, was ne'er confined for intelligence illness.

There's besides nary denotation from authorities that nan shooter took SSRIs aliases immoderate different related medication.

Blaming antidepressants for wide shootings has go a communal maneuver for immoderate conservatives. In 2022, aft nan school shooting successful Uvalde, Texas, and nan shooting astatine nan July Fourth parade successful Highland Park, Illinois, immoderate were speedy to estimate without grounds astir antidepressant usage by nan shooters.

A 2019 study recovered that astir schoolhouse shooters hadn't taken psychotropic medications and that erstwhile they did, “no nonstop aliases causal relation was found” pinch nan shootings.

Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., ripped Kennedy for his comments a time aft nan shooting astatine Annunciation Catholic School’s church.

"I situation you to spell to Annunciation School and show our grieving community, successful effect, guns don’t termination kids, antidepressants do. Just unopen up. Stop peddling bulls---," she wrote connected X. "You should beryllium fired."

Kennedy is simply a longtime professional of SSRIs, and he has spoken retired astir what he sees arsenic overuse and overprescribing of nan drugs. He has besides antecedently blamed nan narcotics for schoolhouse shootings, contempt evidence to nan contrary.

Mental wellness defense groups person besides spoken retired against Kennedy's criticisms of SSRIs, saying that nan narcotics tin beryllium lifesaving by mitigating thoughts of termination and that they tin thief group pinch terrible slump aliases worry usability connected a regular ground and support societal relationships.

"I cognize nan caput of wellness and quality services this greeting said that HHS is investigating, perhaps, links betwixt immoderate of these narcotics and these medicine narcotics that immoderate of these minors whitethorn beryllium taking and an summation successful violence," White House property caput Karoline Leavitt said astatine Thursday's briefing.

"And evidently we person intelligence wellness problems successful this state that this management and Secretary Kennedy will proceed to speak retired astir and nan activity that we’re doing to lick it," she added.

President Donald Trump hasn't made immoderate nationalist remarks astir nan Minneapolis shooting. He posted astir it connected societal media Wednesday, calling it a "terrible situation," and asked that group "join maine successful praying for everyone involved!"

He besides called Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to connection his condolences and ordered that flags beryllium flown astatine half-staff.

Democrats person agelong based on that easy entree to guns and lax weapon laws successful immoderate states person fueled nan pandemic of wide shootings. Trump complete nan years has focused connected mental wellness issues and school security successful talking astir weapon violence.