How one STAT reporter got off antidepressants after a decade

Plus: The first known attempt to prevent ALS

July 28, 2025 Check out STAT+

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By Theresa Gaffney Morning Rounds Writer and Podcast Producer

Good morning. It's almost August and there still isn't a song of the summer. An essay in the Atlantic over the weekend argued that Justin Bieber's new song "Daisies" might be it. I like the song, produced in part by legend Dijon, but I'm not quite sure it's the one. What's your song of the summer? Send nominations and news to theresa.gaffney@statnews.com.

biotech The first known attempt to prevent ALS Courtesy Jeff Vierstra When Jeff Vierstra (above) signed up for Columbia University's ALS Families Project, he thought he would be participating as a carrier of a gene mutation that causes the devastating disease, not as a patient himself. His mother died from ALS when she was 32 years old, and decades later, only his sisters had begun to show early symptoms.  But when the doctor did an initial exam to establish a baseline for Jeff's nerve function, he didn't like what he saw. Jeff didn't have ALS yet, but there were abnormalities. The doctor wanted to put him on the same experimental drug that his sisters would take — as a preventive measure. If Jeff was truly about to develop ALS, the drug might save his life. But if the doctor was wrong, it could do irreparable harm. Read more from STAT's Jason Mast about the story that some advocates see as a case study in possibility. reproductive health N.H. law is first of its kind on patient sterilization  If a patients with certain medical conditions want to receive treatment that could leave them unable to have children, doctors must provide it, a new New Hampshire law states. Signed by the governor earlier this month, the legislation aims to ensure that treatment isn't withheld if a clinician disagrees with somebody's decision to be sterilized. It's the first state law legally requiring medical staff to follow a patient's sterilization wishes, New Hampshire Public Radio reported last week.  The law applies broadly to diseases, disorders, syndromes, symptoms, and even genetic predisposition or family medical history that could affect somebody's reproductive system. It specifically excludes gender dysphoria, stating that the experience does not affect the reproductive system, but notes that dysphoria should not be disqualifying for sterilization based on another condition.   "What I find both fascinating and troubling about sterilizing surgeries like tubal ligation and hysterectomy is that the paternalism can go both ways, some people feeling pushed toward them and some feeling pushed away from them," STAT's Eric Boodman, who recently wrote about the rise in fallopian tube removals to prevent ovarian cancers, said to me in a DM. In his "Coercive Care" series, Eric spoke to more than half a dozen women with sickle cell disease who reported being sterilized with questionable consent. Under New Hampshire's law, patients who are denied this reproductive care can complain to the state's board of medicine within three years. After reviewing the case, the board would determine what, if any, disciplinary action is warranted.

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first opinion A STAT reporter's journey stopping antidepressants LOIC VENANCE/AFP via Getty Images  While there's a growing body of evidence on what people go through when they stop taking antidepressants in short-term research settings, scientists know much less about how it works in the real world after someone spends years taking a medication. STAT's Sarah Todd was on escitalopram, an SSRI, for nearly a decade before she decided to discontinue it earlier this spring.  Sarah's decision coincided with a surge in public scrutiny of antidepressants, partly fueled by the MAHA movement. In a new First Opinion essay, she shares her experience and argues that the conversation about the drugs demands more nuance. It's a thoughtful essay — take a few minutes this morning to read it. You'll find out what Disney movies make Sarah cry thanks to her newly unclogged tear ducts, and why she used to compare herself to George Clooney in the film "Gravity."  public health AAP emphasizes vaccines after devastating flu season The flu death toll among kids during the 2024-2025 season has reached an astonishing 266, the worst single season total — except during the 2009 flu pandemic — in the 21 years that the CDC has recorded pediatric flu deaths. Five new deaths were added on Friday, and it's likely that number could rise further before the 2024-2025 season officially closes at the end of September. Though the vaccine advisers who guide the CDC's vaccination policy voted in June to reiterate U.S. policy calling for everyone 6 months and older to get an annual flu shot, health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is still reviewing that recommendation. In the meantime, the American Academy of Pediatrics is urging parents to vaccinate their kids this fall. "Immunized kids are healthier kids who can focus on growing, playing, and learning," Kristina Bryant, a member of the AAP's infectious diseases committee, said in a statement. Flu vaccination rates among both children and adults have dropped in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. — Helen Branswell research NIH cuts could wind up costing more than they save Initial analyses of the Trump administration's proposed NIH budget cuts have overlooked key aspects of their long-term economic and health impact, according to a new study, which suggests the effects will be sprawling and ultimately cost the country more than is being saved through the cuts. Since Donald Trump took office, his administration has ordered radical changes to the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world. The administration has proposed slashing NIH support for overhead costs of research, canceled grants in topic areas it deems taboo, laid off swaths of agency employees — and even more sweeping changes could be forthcoming. Researchers worry about the existential threat these decisions could pose to biomedical research, but have struggled to quantify the impact, STAT's Anil Oza reports. Read more from Anil on the new paper.

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What we're reading Native leaders push back on gender-affirming care restrictions for tribal citizens, The 19th The protein bar arms race, New York Times First Opinion: The lessons New York still has not learned from the Covid vaccine rollout, STAT She's trying to open a birth center near a maternity desert. It's not easy, NPR A cut to Medicare that could affect millions is buried in Trump's tax law, STAT

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Thanks for reading! More next time,

theresa.gaffney@statnews.com

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