"I happen to be an actual expert on this, because I was addicted to heroin for 14 years. I never wanted to be. I was constantly getting off of it and then getting back on. And I went through cold turkey withdrawal probably over 100 times. And so I know what it's like, and it's not fun." He added, "but I've watched people come off of SSRIs and it is, it's not even comparable."
He said he watched a family member become suicidal after getting off SSRIs after a couple years of use.
This isn't the first time Kennedy has shared this comparison. He said something similar in his confirmation hearing in January 2025.
"She woke up every morning and said, 'I don't want to live.' And she said, 'The only reason I'm staying alive is for you guys.' And that's heartbreaking to hear from a family member, and I've heard that from hundreds and hundreds of people, the same story again and again," he said.