Anxiety has become one of the defining health challenges of modern American life, and the medical system’s primary answer remains a prescription pad. Federal data show that millions more adults now take anxiety medication than just five years ago, a trend that has drawn both public attention and political scrutiny.
The medications at the center of this debate work by altering brain chemistry to quiet the persistent worry, racing thoughts, and tension that define anxiety disorders. For some patients, the drugs deliver relief. But they also carry side effects that push a significant number of people to stop treatment, and growing questions about dependency, safety, and overprescription have reached the highest levels of government.
Meanwhile, researchers continue to identify powerful lifestyle and social forces — from digital overload to deepening isolation — that fuel anxiety at its source. That raises an uncomfortable question: Are we treating a medical condition, or medicating our way around problems that demand a different kind of solution?
RFK Jr. Challenges Widespread Anxiety Medication Use
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. publicly questioned the expanding use of psychiatric medications such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
As reported by CBS News, anxiety medications have become increasingly common, with federal survey data showing the share of U.S. adults taking these drugs increased from 11.7% in 2019 to 14.3% in 2024.1 That jump represents roughly 8 million additional Americans starting anxiety medication during that period, bringing the total to about 38 million adults nationwide.
• Young adults drive the fastest growth in anxiety medication prescriptions — Among Americans ages 18 to 34, the proportion taking anxiety medication rose from 8.8% in 2019 to 14.6% in 2024. Researchers believe multiple social forces are behind this increase, including pandemic stress, economic uncertainty, and growing social media exposure.
These pressures create constant mental stimulation and comparison that feed worry and insecurity, which leads more people to seek pharmaceutical treatment.
• SSRIs remain the most widely prescribed anxiety medications — Drugs such as Prozac, Zoloft and Lexapro fall into this category. They work by altering how brain cells handle serotonin, a chemical messenger involved in mood regulation and emotional stability.
By slowing the brain’s reabsorption of serotonin, these drugs increase the amount of the chemical circulating between nerve cells. Doctors frequently prescribe SSRIs as first-line treatment for generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder.
• Side effects remain a common reason people discontinue treatment — SSRIs come with drawbacks that affect many users. The report identified several common side effects, including upset stomach, fatigue, mental fog, and sexual dysfunction. For some patients these issues become difficult to tolerate in daily life. Data cited in the article show about 1 in 12 people stop taking SSRIs because of side effects.
• RFK Jr. argues withdrawal from SSRIs is difficult for some people — Kennedy emerged as one of the most prominent critics of expanding psychiatric medication use. During his January 29, 2026 confirmation hearing, Kennedy described cases where people struggled to stop taking SSRIs after long-term use. He stated that he personally knows individuals, including family members, who had “a tougher time quitting SSRIs than people have quitting heroin.”
• Federal officials are examining behavioral risks linked to psychiatric drugs — Kennedy has also directed his agency to study whether psychiatric medications such as SSRIs play a role in violent behavior. Federal health officials are examining links between psychiatric drug use and acts such as school shootings. This investigation reflects broader concerns among policymakers that certain medications alter emotional regulation in ways that require deeper study.
How Medication Risks and Modern Social Pressures Shape the Anxiety Treatment Debate
CBS News also reported comments from U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary, who suggested that SSRI use during pregnancy could contribute to poor birth outcomes. These statements have intensified discussion about the safety of psychiatric medications in vulnerable populations.
Some patients also experience withdrawal symptoms when stopping antidepressants abruptly, while other anxiety medications, such as benzodiazepines including Xanax, carry clearer dependency risks.
Benzodiazepines work quickly to calm the nervous system and relieve acute anxiety. However, they create tolerance over time, meaning your body requires higher doses to achieve the same effect. Benzodiazepines work by enhancing the effect of GABA, your brain’s main calming chemical. With repeated use, your brain compensates by reducing its own GABA sensitivity, so you need a higher dose to get the same relief.
This adaptation is what makes stopping the drug so difficult. Psychiatrist Emily Wood explained that daily use often leads to dependence and requires careful tapering when stopping the medication. “If you’re taking them on a daily basis, you’ll need more and more to get the same effect,” she said.
• Social and cultural shifts play a major role in the anxiety epidemic — The report also examined broader forces behind rising anxiety rates, including increased social media use, economic stress and declining participation in community activities.
Sociologist Jason Schnittker of the University of Pennsylvania explained that anxiety levels have gradually increased across generations throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Growing distrust, economic pressure and social isolation all contribute to a persistent sense of unease in modern life.
• Social media increasingly shapes how young people approach mental health treatment — One striking trend described in the report involves the role of digital platforms in mental health decisions. Many influencers openly discuss anxiety and medication online, which has reduced stigma around seeking treatment.
However, this environment also fuels self-diagnosis and quick access to prescriptions through telehealth services. A study cited in the article found that about one-third of teenagers now obtain mental health information from social media.2 For many young people, the internet has become their first stop when they try to understand anxiety symptoms.
How to Address Lifestyle Drivers of Anxiety
Whether the policy debate leads to changes or not, the practical question remains the same for anyone living with anxiety: What can you do today that addresses the root of the problem rather than just suppressing the symptoms? The answer starts with six evidence-based habits that target the same brain systems these drugs affect.
Anxiety rarely appears out of nowhere. It often grows from daily habits that push your nervous system into a constant fight-or-flight state. Endless social media scrolling, physical inactivity, poor sleep habits and chronic stress overload your brain’s threat detection system. Medication quiets symptoms, yet the root causes remain untouched if lifestyle patterns stay the same.
If anxiety dominates your thoughts or drains your energy, your first goal involves restoring balance in the systems that regulate mood and stress. Your brain responds strongly to movement, breathing patterns, digital input, and daily habits. When you adjust these factors, your nervous system settles and your mind becomes clearer and calmer.
1. Move your body every day and treat exercise as medicine — Physical activity ranks among the most powerful anxiety and depression remedies available. Research consistently shows that regular exercise reduces depression symptoms as effectively as antidepressant medication and psychotherapy for many adults, yet it does so without the burden of prescription side effects.3
Movement increases endorphins and other brain chemicals that stabilize mood and lower stress hormones. If you’re new to exercise, start with a brisk 10-minute walk daily — fast enough that you can talk but not sing. Add five minutes each week until you reach 60 minutes. Add in strength training twice a week and mind-body exercise, such as yoga, as well. Track your activity like a challenge and watch your confidence grow as your stamina improves.
2. Train your nervous system with slow breathing — Anxiety speeds up your breathing and keeps your body trapped in a stress loop. Slow breathing interrupts that loop and helps manage anxiety.4 When you inhale through your nose and extend your exhale, your nervous system shifts out of fight-or-flight mode.
Try a simple pattern: inhale slowly for four seconds, pause briefly, then exhale for six seconds. Repeat for five minutes. If your mind races during stressful moments or before sleep, this breathing rhythm quickly settles your nervous system.
3. Limit your exposure to social media and constant digital stimulation — Modern anxiety often begins with the endless stream of alarming headlines, arguments and comparisons on social media. Your brain treats those signals as threats even though they appear on a screen. If you notice anxiety spikes after scrolling, reduce exposure.
Set a strict time window for social media once or twice per day — or less. When you feel the urge to scroll, replace it with a five-minute walk outside, a few pages of a book, or a text to a friend making plans to meet in person.
4. Support your gut health to calm your nervous system — Your gut and brain are in constant two-way communication through the vagus nerve — a direct line that carries signals about inflammation, stress and immune activity from your digestive tract straight to your brain’s anxiety centers. When your gut environment is disrupted, those signals shift toward alarm, and your nervous system stays locked in a heightened state.
This gut-brain axis explains why digestive problems and anxiety so frequently appear together, and why fixing your gut often quiets your mind. The foundation of gut repair starts with removing what’s damaging it. If you eat out frequently or consume processed foods, you’re likely taking in excessive amounts of linoleic acid (LA) from seed oils like sunflower, safflower, soybean and canola. These oils disrupt mitochondrial function and wreck your gut environment.
Avoid processed foods and switch to grass fed butter, ghee or tallow instead. From there, optimize your carbohydrate intake — your body needs about 250 grams daily to maintain cellular energy production.
Start with easily digestible sources like whole fruit or white rice, especially if your gut is compromised, and add fiber gradually to avoid triggering endotoxin release. Once the foundation is stable, add fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, and plain yogurt to further support a gut environment that keeps your brain’s threat signals in check.
5. Protect your sleep and restore your daily rhythm — Poor sleep destabilizes the brain systems that regulate mood and emotional control. When sleep becomes fragmented or shortened, your brain’s threat centers become more reactive and anxiety intensifies.
Protect your sleep by keeping a consistent bedtime, turning off screens at least an hour before bed and exposing your eyes to natural daylight early in the morning. That daily light signal resets your internal clock and improves both sleep quality and emotional resilience.
6. Strengthen your real-world connections and reduce isolation — Human connection acts as a natural buffer against anxiety. Isolation, which increased sharply during pandemic lockdowns and through heavy digital engagement, amplifies stress signals in your brain.
If you spend large portions of the day alone or online, make deliberate changes. Schedule regular in-person conversations, join group activities, walk with a friend or participate in community events. These interactions provide emotional grounding that stabilizes your nervous system and lowers chronic anxiety.
FAQs About Anxiety Medications and Natural Ways to Manage Anxiety
Q: Why are more Americans taking anxiety medications today?
A: Federal survey data show the share of U.S. adults taking anxiety medications increased from 11.7% in 2019 to 14.3% in 2024, which means roughly 38 million Americans now use them. The largest increases appear among young adults ages 18 to 34.
Researchers attribute the surge to several modern pressures, including pandemic stress, social media exposure, economic uncertainty and increased social isolation. Easier access to telehealth and growing public discussion about mental health also make prescriptions more common.
Q: Why are young adults experiencing the largest increase in anxiety medication use?
A: Young adults ages 18 to 34 are driving much of the recent surge in anxiety medication use. Federal survey data show the share of people in this age group taking anxiety medications rose from 8.8% in 2019 to 14.6% in 2024.
Researchers point to several factors behind this shift, including pandemic disruptions, financial uncertainty and growing reliance on digital communication instead of in-person social interaction. Heavy social media use also exposes younger adults to constant comparison, negative news and social pressure, which increases stress and makes anxiety symptoms more common.
Q: What side effects are associated with anxiety medications?
A: SSRIs carry side effects that cause many people to stop treatment. Common complaints include stomach upset, fatigue, brain fog and sexual dysfunction. Data cited in the report show about 1 in 12 patients discontinue SSRIs because of side effects. Other anxiety medications, particularly benzodiazepines such as Xanax, also carry a risk of dependence because the body builds tolerance over time.
Q: Why has Kennedy questioned widespread anxiety medication use?
A: Kennedy has raised concerns about the growing reliance on psychiatric medications. During his 2026 confirmation hearing, he stated that some individuals have struggled to stop taking SSRIs after long-term use and said he knows people who found quitting them extremely difficult. Kennedy has also directed federal health agencies to examine whether certain psychiatric drugs influence behavior in ways that require closer scientific investigation.
Q: What natural lifestyle strategies help reduce anxiety?
A: Regular exercise improves mood and reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety. Slow breathing techniques shift your nervous system out of fight-or-flight mode. Reducing social media exposure limits constant stress signals to your brain. Consistent sleep routines restore emotional stability, and strong social connections provide psychological support that buffers everyday stress. These habits address the root causes of anxiety rather than simply suppressing symptoms.
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