health
These Teens Got Therapy. Then They Got Worse.
The kids are not all right, and frustratingly, we don’t really know how to help them.
TL;DR
- A study in Australia tested a DBT program on over 1,000 teenagers, expecting to improve their mental health.
- Instead, the teens in the therapy group experienced increased depression and anxiety, poorer parent relationships, and lower quality of life immediately after the eight-week program.
- Most negative effects faded, but poorer parent relationships persisted six months later.
- This result aligns with other failed universal interventions for teens, including mindfulness and cognitive-behavioral therapy programs.
- Reasons for failure include teens not opting in, resistance to adult directives, diluted therapeutic content, and applying intensive therapy concepts to a general population.
- The article suggests that teen mental health crisis requires approaches that trust teens to seek help when needed, making treatment available but not obligatory.