The head of one of Britain's leading independent schools has issued a stark warning that teenagers are being over-diagnosed with mental health conditions, often mistaking the normal 'bumps in the road' of adolescence for chronic disorders.
The 'TikTok-ification' of Mental Health Diagnosis
James Dahl, Master of Wellington College in Berkshire, argues that while increased awareness is positive, social media platforms are equipping young people with a clinical vocabulary that leads to premature self-diagnosis. He specifically highlighted a dangerous trend he calls the 'TikTok-ification of mental health diagnosis', where simplistic online videos claim to identify conditions like depression in mere seconds.
"Talking about it more and giving our young people the language with which they can converse about these feelings is good on one hand," said Mr Dahl. "But on the other, it is undoubtedly equipping them with the ability to self-diagnose and self-pathologise more convincingly than would have been the case 25 to 30 years ago."
Pathologising Normal Teenage Experience
Mr Dahl contends that society is too quick to attach medical labels to ordinary emotional experiences. "We are too quick to attach labels to young people who are just experiencing the sadnesses and joys of what it means to be teenagers and human beings," he stated. He expressed concern about a potential 'over-medicalisation' of young people presenting with common, non-chronic symptoms of sadness or anxiety.
His comments arrive in a significant week for mental health policy. They follow Health Secretary Wes Streeting's announcement last week of an independent review into the soaring rates of mental health diagnoses. This government action underscores the growing national concern about the scale of the issue.
Education's Role in Building Resilience
Mr Dahl, who has led the prestigious school founded by Queen Victoria in 1856 since 2019, questioned whether the education system does enough to build life skills. He argued that while schools excel at teaching academic subjects like maths and history, more must be done to educate pupils on "how one needs to go about the business of living a normal, flourishing human life."
At Wellington College, whose alumni include comedian Rory Bremner and novelist George Orwell, pupils are given regular opportunities for philosophical reflection on human emotions. "This is the kind of issue Aristotle would have discussed 2,500 years ago," Mr Dahl noted, advocating for a classical, character-based approach to complement modern mental health awareness.
The headmaster concluded that while he does not feel qualified to criticise NHS professionals, the current climate demands a careful balance. The goal, he suggests, is to support genuine need without mistakenly pathologising the inherent and temporary struggles of growing up.
