Sami Timimi

In this engaging discussion, child psychiatrist Sami Timimi explores the surge in ADHD diagnoses, while journalist Abigail Shrier critiques the impact of achievement culture on mental health. Dr. Gabrielle Carlson offers insights on the complexities of children's mental health, and psychoanalyst Erica Komisar highlights the importance of attentive parenting. Journalist Jennifer Wallace warns against the consequences of overmedicating our youth, questioning whether we are pathologizing normal childhood experiences. Together, they challenge the current mental health landscape for children.

Sami Timimi, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and author of *Searching for Normal*, delves into the complexities of modern mental health diagnostics. He questions why increased access to treatment hasn't improved outcomes and discusses how expanding diagnostic categories like ADHD and autism may blur the lines between distress and normalcy. Timimi cautions against the framing of mental illness as purely biological, warns that this can increase stigma, and emphasizes the importance of social connections and resilience over rigid diagnoses.

In this insightful discussion, Dr. Sami Timimi, a renowned child psychiatrist and author, delves into the concerning trend of medicalising childhood struggles. He challenges the notion of normality and highlights how subjective definitions can lead to overdiagnosis. Timimi offers parents four crucial principles: prioritize connections over diagnoses, embrace emotions, and beware of labels that can limit potential. He digs into the rising narratives around ADHD and autism, questioning the motives behind this diagnostic explosion in today's youth.