Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren't Growing Up

"This book is a provocation, but not in the way people might think. Abigail Shrier doesn’t dismiss talk therapy; she takes it seriously as a potent treatment for real mental illness. The problem, she says, is that we’ve made it one of those “It can’t hurt!” things, like vitamins or fresh air. Citing studies and interviewing parents, she highlights therapy’s potential risks, especially when it’s applied to the normal emotional ups and downs of childhood. The book is personal (Shrier is a mother) and at times contentious, but her case against the “therapization” of American kids is worth considering."