Are We Over-Diagnosing Our Teens With ADHD and Anxiety?

About this episode

This episode discusses how parents may inadvertently harm their teen's mental health by over-labeling normal behaviors as disorders.

Are today’s teens experiencing a true mental health crisis—or are parents being encouraged to label normal adolescent struggles as disorders? In this thought-provoking episode of the Parenting Teens with Dr. Cam Podcast, adolescent psychologist sits down with renowned child and adolescent psychiatrist , author of Searching for Normal, to unpack the rising diagnoses of ADHD, anxiety, depression, and autism in teens. Parents today are overwhelmed trying to determine when teenage mood swings, defiance, anxiety, and emotional outbursts are “normal” and when they signal something more serious. Dr. Timimi challenges the growing trend of pathologizing ordinary adolescent behavior and explains why over-labeling teens may actually hurt resilience, confidence, and emotional growth. If you’re worried about your teen’s mental health, struggling with constant conflict, or wondering whether therapy, medication, or diagnosis is the right next step, this episode offers a refreshing and deeply practical perspective. Learn how to support your teen without overreacting, how to identify true mental health red flags, and why strengthening your relationship with your teen may be more powerful than…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Cam

Guest: Dr. Timimi

Topics covered

• teen mental health
• parenting challenges
• ADHD
• anxiety
• depression
• emotional growth

Keywords

• teen mental health
• parenting
• ADHD
• anxiety
• depression
• emotional resilience
• therapy

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Searching for Normal

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