So there's an argument out there that more and more psychologists are starting to make, and I find it particularly compelling.

It goes like this. The language of therapy has infiltrated nearly all aspects of modern life,

particularly that of young people, and the result is an inflation in normal everyday problems into perceived disasters and full-blown psychological disorders.

Now if you look around, you will see this happening all the time. People aren't

shy or awkward anymore. Now we all have social anxiety. That selfish

asshole that you work with isn't just a selfish asshole. He is now a diagnosable narcissist.

Your dad yelled at you when you were 12 for fucking up his favorite golf clubs,

which is now considered a traumatic event, and it will take you months or even years of processing with your therapist.

The language that we use to describe our problems matters because the language itself

often dictates how we perceive and experience those problems.

Whether I tell myself that I'm shy or I suffer from social anxiety

will partially determine my attitude and optimism towards the problem.

And by defining all of our problems in the most catastrophic emotional terms possible,

we might actually be hindering rather than helping our mental health.

And of course, this doubly applies to kids.

Despite growing up with the greatest socioeconomic comfort, the most education, and infinite access

to mental health resources, the youngest generations are in a full-blown mental health epidemic.

Why is that?

Could it perhaps be that our therapy culture is backfiring?

My guest on the podcast today is Abigail Schreier.

She's an award-winning journalist and the author of the new bestseller,

Bad Therapy, Why the Kids Aren't Growing Up. Now, full disclosure, Abigail doesn't fuck around.

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