The Unhealthiest Generation Obsessing Over Mental Health | Abigail Shrier with Stella O'Malley

Abigail Shrier and Stella O'Malley discuss how therapy culture has gone wrong for young people—and what parents can do about it. Abigail explains how her research for Irreversible Damage revealed that therapists, often not even gender specialists, were playing a key role in steering vulnerable teens toward a trans identity. This observation led her to write Bad Therapy, exploring how a generation raised with unprecedented access to mental health support has become the most anxious and distressed on record. Together, Abigail and Stella examine why therapy with children carries unique risks, how schools began delivering therapeutic interventions en masse, and why the profession's shift toward affirmation has undermined both parents and young people. They discuss the loss of parental authority, the shallow relationships that result when teens save their problems for paid professionals, and why conservative families appear to have fared better—not because of ideology, but because of skepticism toward a culture that wasn't serving children well. Abigail also shares what it was like to publish Irreversible Damage five years ago, the campaigns to silence her, and the dramatic shift in the landscape since then. She closes with a message of hope for parents who feel they've lost influence over their children. Abigail Shrier is an author and journalist. Her book Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters became a bestseller and helped spark international conversation about rapid-onset gender dysphoria. Her follow-up, Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren't Growing Up, examines how over-therapised childhoods may be harming a generation. Stella O'Malley is a psychotherapist, author, and the Founder-Director of Genspect. She presented and wrote the Channel 4 documentary Trans Kids: It's Time to Talk and has authored several books, including Bully-Proof Kids and What Your Teen is Trying to Tell You, as well as co-authoring When Kids Say They're Trans. Stella is also the co-host of Beyond Gender with Mia Hughes and Dr. Bret Alderman. 00:00 Intro 01:24 How Irreversible Damage led to Bad Therapy 07:57 Schools became therapeutic clinics 19:30 Why kids from conservative families do better 25:58 Loss of faith created an opening for therapists 38:43 Publishing Irreversible Damage: fear and pushback 46:39 A message to parents who've lost authority 50:53 Abigail's next book Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this video are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Genspect or its affiliates. While Genspect advocates for free speech and open dialogue, the content here represents individual perspectives. For more information on Genspect's position, please visit https://genspect.org/our-position-faqs/ This conversation was pre-recorded and presented at The Bigger Picture Conference, held 27–28 September 2025 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Please subscribe, comment, like and share! Support our work: https://genspect.org/donate/ Follow us on Social Media: X:   / genspect   Facebook:   / genspect   Instagram:   / genspectinternational   Youtube:    / @genspect   #AbigailShrier #BadTherapy #IrreversibleDamage #StellaOMalley #Genspect #TherapyCulture #ParentalRights #ChildSafety #MentalHealth #GenderDebate #ProtectChildren #BiggerPictureConference