To think therapy culture is turning self-reflection into self-obsession?

Funnily enough, she’s had therapy twice as I stated in my post she’d had it. Guess what? Makes not a jot of difference…. Which is why I said I sometimes I think it would be more beneficial to someone else as I know my friend, know what she’s like and know that no amount often therapy will stop her making the same decisions.

So why are these illnesses not being diagnosing until later in life as a co-condition rather than the primary condition.
My DS was diagnosed with ASD, but he had a genetics mutation discovered later that can present with ASD traits.
I asked tne doctors was he mis-diagnosed with ASD as the issue presents as ASD but not ASD, he said they won't dispute an earlier diagnosis.
There is very little follow-up on an adhd diagnosis, as I mentioned above. I know a few DC who settled down after a few years without medication.
There should be a follow-up ever 4 years.
At one point 22 out of 38 young offenders in Dublin were diagnosed with ADHD.
If other mental health illnesses were explored and treated correctly. It might reduce the violence in society.

“Potential harm from universal school-based mental health interventions: Candidate mechanisms and future directions” is it this title you searched? This is not an opinion piece, a review. There is also reference to several other reviews in the paper.

I think we’re on the same page that more need to be done to help children and young people. However, we can’t just give things a go and hope they help, especially when the evidence indicates it’s not only not helpful, but potentially harmful. It’s the same reason we can’t just randomly offer children new types of therapy that haven’t been studied, offer medication with no evidence base etc. You could easily say “well, increasing funding isn’t happening anytime soon, so let’s roll out hypnotherapy”.

As I quoted from the review (which you ignored) “The specifics of negative effects vary widely across trials. Negative effects have been reported across a range of self-report measures including a worsening of symptoms of anxiety, depression, hyperactivity/inattention difficulties, obsessive compulsive disorder and panic, and a decrease in parental relationship quality, prosocial behaviour and wellbeing”. They then reference the studies which found this, highlighting that the paper is a review, not an opinion piece.

The MHST has been in place since 2018, as can be seen on the NHS website. These are not new programs (“Since 2018/19, the NHS has been implementing new mental health support teams (MHSTs) in schools and colleges across England). I don’t believe I am uninformed, given I’ve worked in CAMHs and have a good knowledge of the conflicting evidence base. I think calling someone uniformed because they disagree with you is silly, personally.

You have 1 friend that does this! Of course therapy could help- highlighting the patterns, where it’s come from and giving her the tools to stop making the same mistakes.

It’s normal (and helpful) to feel anxious or sad at times but there does seem to be an explosion of ‘MH’ issues now, where people can’t cope with general life.

I have a friend who makes the same mistakes time a time again and wonders why the outcome is the same. Spends hours on the phone to me complaining about her life and how hard it is and how she’s never got money, she’s always working and about her DP (who is a waste of space, alcoholic, never has a penny etc)

She can’t understand how the decisions she makes impact her life. Sh feels unlucky and hard done by and has had ‘therapy’ via charities but I wonder what the point is because nothing will change. Her life is a product of her own choices so no amount of therapy can help someone who doesn’t learn or take personal accountability.

I often think the therapists time will likely be better spent on someone with true trauma, whereby things happened to them that were beyond their control and nothing to do with poor decisions.

That's because you are on social media. I abandoned all social media years ago and I don't see it.

Before you ask, I do not regards discussion forums like these as social media, because everyone see the same posts in the same other. I might make an exception for the personal feed though.

I searched the title, the link was not given.
It’s an opinion piece as it states. No data was used in said piece.

The NHS MHST initiative is still being rolled out and offers much more than a chat about CBT, it’s concerning that you seem so uninformed.

And given increased funding isn’t going to be happening any time soon what do you expect schools, families and children to do in the meantime?

Perhaps accidentally running to Windsor? Worth a punt 😆

I am a clinical psychologist and I have worked in CAMHs, so I have spent many a “day in the real world of life with children and young people battling mental illness and difficulties in a broken and non existant system”.

I have said over and over again, the only way to address the issue is to increase funding and address systemic issues. A chat about CBT in schools will make no difference, what will make a difference is getting children access to qualified mental health professionals.

I did post the link - otherwise how would you know who the author is?

And yes, given it’s a systematic review, it’s not one paper. It’s a collection of peer reviewed studies conducted by a variety of researcher, so claiming it’s a biased study doesn’t really work.

How many people come to see you because they just “had a bad day”?

Absolutely not.

You quoted from it and didn’t link. It was written by Lucy Foulkes , the same academic in the newspaper article and no data was used in said opinion piece.

Assuming you’re not Lucy F I suggest you have a day in the real world of life with children and young people battling mental illness and difficulties in a broken and non existant system.

The NHS commissioned Mental Health Support Team in Schools (MHST) is evolving and many schools still don’t have it. They do also offer consultations , work shops and training to children families and education staff too alongside 121.

As leaving struggling children , schools and families navigating a broken system unsupported is not an option do let us know what you suggest as an alternative. Just sitting in an ivory tower pontificating whilst mild and moderate difficulties turn into severe does not help anybody.

@Dr940p Would you agree that most of children suffer with their MH problems are diagnosed with ADHD.
Personality disorders, bipolar, anxiety disorder, developmental delays, hyperactivity, no concentrate or hyper focus, no awareness or hypo sensitive, even psychopaths.
There is 1000's of mh conditions that are treated with medication as ADHD in children.

I posted a peer reviewed academic systematic review and quoted the findings when you asked? That’s clearly not an opinion piece from an academic.

MHST have been in place since 2018 and, as I said, don’t focus on teaching. The focus is definitely on 1-1 and systemic working with professionals.

You haven’t posted clear and wide evidence that they don’t. A opinion piece written by an academic with zero experience of the real world is not that. The new MHST in schools partnership is focusing on CAMHS running classes and doing 121 for a few children alongside supporting staff. Surely it’s far too early to completely disregard this as sone schools are only just getting it.

There is a MH crisis amongst children. Staff have to support and work with these children regardless of the lack of provision outside of school. The MH sector for adults and children is completely broken and pretty much non existent. There is no magic money tree or anybody in government or anywhere that seems to be planning to fix it.

What exactly do you expect schools to do as ignoring these children is not an option?

Mental Health Support teams in schools are not new initiatives, and they don’t focus on teaching mental health/cbt/psychoed classes. They provide 1-1 therapy for at-risk students and provide systemic support for the wider team working with students from qualified psychologists. Some programs have EMHPs, who are trained in guided self-help CBT but are not fully qualified CBT therapists.

There is plenty of peer reviewed evidence that teaching these types of classes to children doesn’t work, as I pointed out when you asked “what is the evidence” and then “well what are the harms”, but you chose not to reply when this was shared presumably because you don’t want to acknowledge it doesn’t work, similar to here.

The efficacy of school based psycho-ed programs and the chronic underfunding of mental health services are two separate issues. Just because services are underfunded and inaccessible (which they are), doesn’t mean CBT classes are helpful (which evidence suggests they aren’t).

Carla786

Oh god yeah I worded that wrong! No, she’d just had a moment in therapy where she felt everything had clicked into place (I think) and went home and told her dh she knew she liked women. He was upset

You mean she had an affair with the therapist? Sorry if I'm misunderstanding!

But the author who is an academic and clearly not living in the real world illustrates a complete lack of understanding of reality.

“My view is that the only information we should teach en masse is where a young person should get help, both inside and outside school, if they’re struggling. That’s it. Then we should focus the time, energy and money on supporting the smaller group of young people who are actually unwell.”

There is no help to be had. Zilch. Nothing. Children and adults with treatable mental illnesses are now being left to simply get worse. Schools barely bother referring kids to CAMHs now as the waiting lists ( if they’re lucky enough to get on them)are so long. So much so the extreme tertiary end of the mental health sector are now struggling to cope.

There is a new initiative between CAMHs and schools for mild to moderate mental health issues called Mental Health Support Teams . It’s far too early to be dismissed as it’s still be rolled out. It has to work as sadly there is nothing else and far too many children and adults with mild to moderate difficulties are being left to become extremely unwell.Mental Health devices are completely broken and it’s frankly a national disgrace.

I think recording yourself crying is the most cringe worthy act of self-pity ever discovered.
Nobody looks good when they ugly cry.
I enjoy good news, positive news, not sobbing like a loon.
We can't even blame gen z they were raised by adults who used FB like it was oxygen.

Yes! So sick of listening to generation Z being "traumatized" because of a break up and "have boundaries" meaning being self absorbed and selfish. Therapy speak is so tiring outside the therapy room, especially by people who have no idea what they are talking about.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/may/20/mental-health-lessons-school-dont-work-mindfulness

this is quite interesting

Therapy is known to work. Rather that than drugs or suicide.

Is an epitome of this the declamation by some women that they deserve to be treated like a princess? WTF, lol.

And on another note, to all the posters defending “real” therapists, psychologists and counsellors and saying they are on a completely different level of professionalism and training from the tik tok and instagram swill, please remember that their professional bodies have gone uncritically full in with the gender woo cult affirmation model.

Absolutely no respect for these people. They aren’t as independent, curious and educated as they think they are. Apologies to the minority of professional psychologists and therapists who haven't been sucked in to this arrant nonsense.