Ella Emhoff, stepdaughter of former Vice President Kamala Harris and daughter of former Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, has clarified her position on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), asserting that her original video about the commonly prescribed antidepressants has been co-opted for right-wing propaganda.
Emhoff Sets the Record Straight
In an Instagram video posted Saturday, Emhoff stated, "I am very pro-SSRIs. I do not support the eradication of them at all. They have saved my life 100%. All I was trying to say in the video is that I didn't know how hard it was to get off of them or the actual process of getting off of them, which there is a very healthy way to do it."
Original Video Context
Emhoff's original video, posted in December and since deleted, discussed a podcast about the over-prescription of SSRIs. She expressed that the process of discontinuing them is not discussed enough. "I feel like so many of us are on these meds and ... people get off of them and they kind of break down, and it can be really bad," she said.
Conservative Media Response
The video was picked up by conservative outlets such as Evie Magazine and the New York Post. The New York Post ran a headline suggesting that Emhoff and other Gen Zers are aligning with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vocal critic of SSRIs. Earlier this month, the Department of Health and Human Services announced efforts to curb over-prescription of SSRIs. At a MAHA Institute summit, Secretary of Health and Human Services RFK Jr. claimed America has a dependency issue due to over-medicalization and that too many people start SSRIs without understanding the risks. He also repeated the debunked claim that SSRIs are more addictive than heroin.
Emhoff's Personal Experience
Both doctors and patients have criticized Kennedy's skepticism toward SSRIs. Emhoff, who has been on SSRIs for 10 years and has no plans to stop, previously addressed rumors of a mental breakdown after Harris lost the 2024 election to Donald Trump. She denied the breakdown but acknowledged, "I've struggled with my mental health my whole life and I'm not ashamed of it."
