Bad Therapy

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. 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?


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 themselves, 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: for instance, talk therapy can induce rumination, trapping children in cycles of anxiety and depression; while ‘gentle parenting’ can encourage emotional turbulence – even violence – in children as they lash out, desperate for an adult to be 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 support our kids have backfired – and what it will take for parents to lead a turnaround.