"One Nation Under Therapy"

I heard about this book on "The Daily Show" one night, the author was being interviewed, and I had to get it. I picked it up this week. Basically the book is about kids and how we're over-coddling them, creating members of society with virtually no coping mechanisms whatsoever. It makes some blanket statements that I don't agree with completely, but it cites some examples of this "therapism" in real schools and real organizations across the nation that are frightening:

- Some schools have banned tag, chase, red rover, and other games that identify children as "out" or "in" during recess. The games are just too hard on the child's emotional state. Replacement game: have the children sit in a circle and talk about their feelings, what makes them happy. Make sure that when playing "musical chairs", everyone has a seat.
- Some schools have banned the use of red pens for grading papers and replaced them, across the board, with lavender ink pens. The red is just too harsh, too offensive and causes feelings of inferiority and pain.
- When standardized tests were under attack during the Clinton administration, a panel of psychologists were asked to review the test content and make suggestions. Narrative stories about peanuts (George Washington Carver, their nutritional value) simply HAD to be removed because those students with peanut allergies might feel a little anxious and excluded and therefore could not complete the test without inhibition. There was another story about a tree stump in a forest. Various bugs and insects made their homes on the stump. The stump was compared to an apartment complex, which clearly might offend those students who lived in government housing.

I've only read about 20 pages.

There are more than just school stories, lots of commentary on the focus on our children's mental health -- not allowing children to grieve or feel pain, medicating too quickly, etc. The author is by no means saying that we need to lose our focus on the mental health of our youth. I think the most interesting point made so far is that with so much focus on how most children are generally stressed, anxious, depressed, etc., that those kids with real problems get lost along the way. Kids with severe issues get lumped into the general population of kids and labeled and treated the same. The thought of losing one child along the way terrifies me.

Again, I'm not too far into the book. There's a lot more to read. A lot more that I'll agree or disagree with, I just find the topic insanely interesting. In the work I do with youth, I see things that intrigue me -- kids' reactions to stress or authority, their jealousy, their world-view. I know that kids are kids, and that much of what I see is exactly the way I behaved when I was their age. But seriously, some of it isn't.

I'm certainly not anti-therapy. I think the title of the book is a little misleading. Of course, I'm only 20 pages in. I'm anxious to read more about it and see where they're going with it.