You Must Be Some Kind of Therapist 202. Label Mania: How Diagnosing Every Kid Is Backfiring on a Generation with Will Dobud
Today I'm joined by Dr. Will Dobud, a social worker, researcher, and educator who has worked with adolescents and families across the United States, Australia, and Norway. Will is the co-author of Kids These Days: Understanding and Supporting Youth Mental Health, and he brings a refreshingly optimistic yet realistic perspective to the challenges facing today's young people.
We dig into some truly provocative territory in this conversation. Will challenges the prevailing narrative that phones and social media are the root of the youth mental health crisis, drawing on historical moral panics — from kaleidoscopes to pinball machines — to argue that blanket bans rarely work. Instead, he advocates for digital integration through boundaries and parental involvement.
We explore why more diagnoses, more medication, and more therapy haven't improved outcomes, and how the explosion of mental health labeling — especially around neurodivergence — may actually be doing more harm than good. Will shares his concerns about "label mania," the misuse of accommodations, and how identity politics have hijacked what was originally a movement toward inclusion. We also talk about the shortage of real-world experience for kids, the importance of rough-and-tumble play, and what parents can do to build connection instead of defaulting to control. This episode asks the hard questions: Are we crushing the spirit of youth with our own adult anxiety? And what would happen if we just gave kids something worth participating in?
Dr. Will Dobud is a social worker, researcher, and educator who has worked with adolescents and families in the United States, Australia, and Norway. Will is from Washington, D.C., and divides his time between the United States and Australia each year. He is the author and editor of three books, including Kids These Days: Understanding and Supporting Youth Mental Health. Will is an award-winning researcher and educator who has received recognition for excellence in research, teaching, and crime prevention. Dr. Dobud is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work at Charles Sturt University, Australia's largest social work school. Will is an invited international speaker who conducts workshops for therapists and families worldwide. Will's research focuses on improving therapy outcomes for teenagers and promoting safe, ethical practices. He has investigated and written about America's Troubled Teen Industry, especially wilderness therapy. He has worked alongside advocates, survivors, researchers, and clinicians to protect youth from institutionalization and harm.
Facebook: @WillDobudPhD
X: @WillDobud
Instagram: @WillDobud @Kids_These_Days_Book
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-dobud-5209ab74/
Substack: https://substack.com/@willdobud
Books mentioned in this episode:
- Kids These Days: Understanding and Supporting Youth Mental Health by Will Dobud and Nevin Harper
- The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
- i-Minds by Mari Swingle
- The Spirit of Youth and the City Streets (1909) by Jane Addams
[00:00:00] Start
[00:02:46] Why Adults Get Trapped Trying to Fix Kids
[00:06:06] What's Actually Going Right With Youth Today
[00:10:17] Environmental Toxins and the Hard Questions
[00:11:48] Digital Interference vs. Digital Integration
[00:17:54] Can Kids Self-Regulate With Screens?
[00:25:57] Phone-Free Schools: Solution or Distraction?
[00:34:43] The Anxious Generation's Four Norms Problem
[00:37:10] Putting Yourself in a Kid's Shoes
[00:40:11] Experiential Learning and the Crowded Curriculum
[00:48:07] Autism, Neurodivergence, and Label Mania
[00:56:35] Identity Politics and Secondary Gain
[01:04:04] Living Well With ADHD Without Hiding Behind It
[01:12:11] Accommodations as Institutional Traps
[01:16:22] Breaking Free From Therapeutic Dogma
[01:18:46] Normies, Psychos, and Schizos
[01:21:25] Institutional Exploitation in Mental Health
[01:28:12] The Shortage of Experience and Risky Play
[01:32:33] DC Punk Rock as Youth Participation Model
[01:37:45] What Don't You Want to Change About Your Child?
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Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.
Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.
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