The concept of the 'teenager' is a relatively modern invention, emerging in the decades following the Second World War. For the 70-odd years since, navigating adolescence has rarely been described as a simple joy. Caught in a liminal state between childhood and adulthood, teens are granted more responsibility but few of the corresponding freedoms, often left to grapple alone with consumer pressures and complex social worlds.
A Surge in Diagnosis and Treatment
Before the war, most young people moved directly from school into work, leaving little time for the introspection common today. That era is long gone. Now, a growing number of school-age children and adolescents are being diagnosed with conditions said to require therapy or medication.
Perhaps most strikingly, the prescription of stimulant drugs for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has become normalised and largely uncontroversial, even for children as young as five, and is more common in older age groups. This shift may have paved the way for the broader medicalisation of adolescent distress, encouraging more diagnoses of other mental health conditions.
The Consequences of a Medical Label
The issue extends beyond the use of drugs. By classifying common struggles as medical events, society fundamentally alters its response. Normal anxiety, exam stress, or temporary disappointment are experiences that typically pass, where sympathy and encouragement are the appropriate tools.
Once deemed a medical matter, however, the same problems are seen as requiring therapy, medication, special exam arrangements, and potentially lifelong support. This raises critical questions: Is this always justified, or has it become far too widespread?
A Growing Chorus of Concern
Influential voices are now challenging this trend. The Mail on Sunday reports that James Dahl, head of the prestigious Wellington College, is among them. He argues: ‘We are too quick to attach chronic labels to young people who are just experiencing the sadnesses and joys of what it means to be teenagers and human beings.’
This sentiment is gaining traction. Last week, Health Secretary Wes Streeting ordered an independent review into the soaring demand for mental health, ADHD, and autism services in England. Furthermore, a BBC survey of GPs found many are worried about general over-diagnosis.
One GP stated plainly: ‘Life being stressful is not an illness.’ Others observed that society has forgotten life can be inherently tough, and that over-medicalising emotional difficulties not only risks harming individuals but also diverts vital resources away from those with the most severe clinical needs.
These concerns, voiced by professionals on the front line, cannot be dismissed as callous. They point to a growing consensus: the medicalisation of normal adolescent turmoil may have gone too far, and in some cases, could be causing more harm than good.
