Discover how mental health experts may be failing America's youth in the podcast as Abigail Shrier exposes the drawbacks of current therapeutic approaches. Explore the unintended consequences of therapy, the impact of COVID on children's mental health, and the importance of resilience in navigating life's challenges. Delve into the interconnectedness of mind and body for optimal mental health, parenting styles, and the speaker's future writing projects.
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Quick takeaways
Therapeutic approaches may induce harm in children by amplifying anxiety and depression.
Policy decisions like school lockdowns can have unforeseen negative consequences on youth mental health.
Encouraging resilience and positive messaging in children can empower them to overcome challenges.
Deep dives
The Harmful Effects of Iatrogenesis in Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy, like other treatments, carries the risk of iatrogenesis, harm initiated by the healer. This concept was discussed in the podcast, highlighting how even beneficial therapies can have negative side effects. For instance, group therapy for burn victims resulted in more sadness. Moreover, certain therapies can amplify worries, sadness, and reduce a sense of advocacy, particularly affecting the youth.
Questioning Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 Measures
The podcast delved into the repercussions of long-term measures like school lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Policy decisions with good intentions, such as closing schools, had unforeseen costs. The discussion raised concerns about the lack of consideration for potential harm caused by extended restrictions, underscoring the need for policymakers to assess long-term consequences.
Challenges in Therapy and Parenting Practices
The conversation highlighted the critical examination of therapy practices and parenting roles. Instances of therapist-led suggestibility, like in recovered memory cases, were cited, emphasizing the importance of ethical and effective therapeutic approaches. The correlation between child behaviors and parental influences, questioning intergenerational trauma theories, underscored the complexity of predicting future human behavior and societal outcomes.
The Importance of Positive Messaging to Children
The podcast episode emphasizes the impact of positive messaging on children's development amid adversity. It discusses the significance of instilling hope and resilience in kids, highlighting that not all individuals are negatively affected by traumatic experiences. Contrary to current approaches, the podcast suggests that framing messages positively can empower children to overcome challenges and achieve success, focusing on individual strengths rather than vulnerabilities.
Rethinking Mental Health Support in Schools
The episode delves into the topic of mental health support in schools, proposing a shift in the way therapy is provided to students. It advocates for a reduction in mental health staff numbers to focus resources on students truly in need of therapy, promoting a more balanced approach. By encouraging parents to play a more active role and avoid unnecessary accommodations, the episode challenges the prevailing narrative around mental health interventions in educational settings.
In virtually every way that can be measured, Gen Z’s mental health is worse than that of previous generations. Youth suicide rates are climbing, antidepressant prescriptions for children are common, and the proliferation of mental health diagnoses has not helped the staggering number of kids who are lonely, lost, sad and fearful of growing up. What’s gone wrong with America’s youth?
In Bad Therapy, bestselling investigative journalist 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, Shrier explores the ways the mental health industry has transformed the way we teach, treat, discipline, and even talk to our kids. She reveals that most of the therapeutic approaches have serious side effects and few proven benefits. Among her unsettling findings:
talk therapy can induce rumination, trapping children in cycles of anxiety and depression
social Emotional Learning handicaps our most vulnerable children, in both public schools and private
“gentle parenting” can encourage emotional turbulence – even violence – in children as they lash out, desperate for an adult in charge.
Mental health care can be lifesaving when properly applied to children with severe needs, but for the typical child, the cure can be worse than the disease. Bad Therapy is a must – read for anyone questioning why our efforts to bolster America’s kids have backfired – and what it will take for parents to lead a turnaround.
Abigail Shrier received the Barbara Olson Award for Excellence and Independence in Journalism in 2021. Her bestselling book, Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters (2020), was named a “Best Book” by the Economist and the Times. It has been translated into ten languages. Her new book is Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren’t Growing Up.
Shermer and Shrier discuss: Irreversible Damage redux: WPATH Files • what view this book for or against • what is the problem to be solved? • theories: coddling, social media, screen time, generations/life history theory • good and bad therapists and therapies • anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, autism • ACE (Adverse Childhood Experience) • trauma, stress, PTSD • anti-fragility and resilience • Goodwill Hunting view of therapy • previous quack therapies and psychological pseudoscience that have plagued psychology and psychiatry.
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