Written by 
Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren’t Growing Up – Abigail Shrier
Genre: Nonfiction – Society & Culture
Publisher: Sentinel
Release Date: Feb 27, 2024
Format read: eBook
Source of book: This book was acquired independently by the Reviewer.
TL;DR: A serious condemnation of widespread therapy in children, but with a hopeful message of resilience.
Introduction: Setting the Context
This Bad Therapy book review should not surprising if you’ve been following the blog recently. After tackling the highly-controversial Irreversible Damage, it was time for me to read Abigail Shrier’s recent outing. Bad Therapy follows on naturally from her previous work, as it focuses on the broader effects of therapeutic practices on young people today.
You can see the through-line between both books. In Irreversible Damage Shrier discussed the influence of therapists on young girls with gender identity issues. She also highlighted the changing nature of young people, and how the rise in depression and anxiety could lead to rapid onset gender dysphoria.
What Bad Therapy does is take the focus off of gender and look to Generations Z and Alpha as a whole. Specifically, it looks at the rising rate of thearapeutic practices in children and analysis the risks of doing so.
Content & Information: The Core Arguments of Bad Therapy
The key word all throughout Bad Therapy is iatrogenesis, a word I was completely unfamiliar with. Iatrogenesis, as Shrier says multiple times, is when harm is generated from a health treatment.
This word is key for Shrier’s argument because she explains that the mental health concerns in young people are directly caused by widespread therapeutic interventions in the past two decades. These intervenations include clinical psychology or therapy sessions, as well as inbedded theraputic programs in institutions like schools and hospitals.
Schools in particular get a damming report here. Collecting data and testimonies from American public schools, Shrier paints a picture of an uncontrolled and helpless generation. With constant emotional check-ins and a lack of discipline, children are left in a chaotic environment at the hands of their peers and teachers. Both physically, and emotional chaotic.
I’m someone on the oldest end of the cohort Shrier is discussing in Bad Therapy. Many of her points ring true to my experience. I have to admit, reading some of the accounts of public school violence prompted memories. Mainly of my own public school experience. Thankfully I came out mostly unscathed.
Writing Style and Effectiveness: More Depth and Surprisingly Funny
The thing that Shrier has done well in this book, that may shock you, is this: she’s optimistic. Not about the state of therapeutic interventions. But about the human spirit.
The key takeaway that Bad Therapy has is that the human spirit is strong and capable. Shrier wants us to remember that we can rise above challenges, move on from difficulties, and create a stronger self within us. And, we can impart that on the children of today.
Since the topic is quite scathing, I really appreciate the injection of positivity throughout. It gives a clear answer on how to fix the problems she highlights, and also provides hope for a generation that is already convinced there is none.
Additionally, I think Shrier’s writing works better this time around because she’s on her “home turf”. As a parent, a past therapy patient, and with more experience under her belt this one doesn’t have the same lack of depth I felt she had with Irreversible Damage.
I will also say that this time Shrier has come out quippier. While I don’t usually look for punchlines or wit in my nonfiction, Bad Therapy actually got some laughs out of me. For example, a joke about whether social-emotional learning in maths was actually a Chinese government plot.
A quote that I find hilarious is this one: “Books that insist we all have hidden trauma from our childhoods live on bestseller lists.” Shrier is critical prominent authors in the self-help space like Bessel van der Kolk and Gabor Maté. I don’t share all her views, but I liked the simple English breakdown of their careers and a dissection of their academic influence.
This also made me laugh because in fact, I have one of these books coming up in an upcoming review – Nicole LePera’s How To Do The Work, which she namechecks in this book. Spoiler, my review of LePera is a bit more positive than Shrier’s.
Conclusion: A Critical but Hopeful Examination
In summary, Bad Therapy offers a critical examination of the rise of therapeutic practices among young people, but with a message of resilience and hope. While Shrier’s arguments may be controversial, they are worth considering, especially as we navigate the mental health challenges facing today’s youth.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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