Why the Kids Aren't Growing Up

From the author of Irreversible Damage, an investigation into how mental health overdiagnosis is harming, not helping, children

'A pacy, no-holds barred attack on mental health professionals and parenting experts . thought-provoking' Financial Times

'A message that parents, teachers, mental health professionals and policymakers need to hear' New Statesman

In virtually every way that can be measured, Gen Z’s mental health is worse than that of previous generations. What’s gone wrong?

In Bad Therapy, Abigail Shrier argues that the problem isn’t the kids – it’s the mental-health experts. Drawing on hundreds of interviews with child psychologists, parents, teachers and young people themselves, she reveals that most of the therapeutic approaches have serious side effects and few proven benefits: for instance, talk therapy can induce rumination, trapping children in cycles of anxiety and depression; while ‘gentle parenting’ can encourage emotional turbulence in children as they lash out, desperate for an adult to be in charge. Bad Therapy is a must-read for anyone questioning why our efforts to support our kids have backfired.