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The decision to send your child to therapy seems like responsible parenting, but what if that choice follows them long after childhood ends? As licensed therapists ourselves, we're pulling back the curtain on a troubling reality that few professionals discuss openly.

Mental health diagnoses given to children as young as six or seven years old don't simply disappear when therapy ends. These labels become permanent parts of medical records that can affect military applications, government employment, insurance coverage, and more. We share real examples from our practices of young adults facing obstacles because of childhood diagnoses they've long since outgrown.

A revealing study found that over two-thirds of people who received therapy as children reported negative effects from the experience, with many developing increased stress and a sense that their problems would never improve. Perhaps most concerning is how children are routinely placed on psychiatric medications with profound physiological effects that alter their developing nervous systems.

As parents, the pressure to medicate children into compliance can be overwhelming. Schools, doctors, and even family members may insist it's the only solution for behavioral issues or learning differences. We challenge this narrative, offering practical alternatives like working with coaches, paying privately to avoid diagnoses, and exploring holistic approaches before turning to psychiatric interventions.

This isn't about shaming parents who've sought help for their children, but rather providing crucial information that's deliberately withheld from the therapy conversation. Before signing your child up for their first session, consider the potentially lifelong implications of that decision.

The Gaslit Truth Podcast will be live and in person at the Feed the Recovering Brain Conference in Dublin, Ohio

Join us with the top names in brain health, including Christina Veselak, Hyla Cass, and Julia Ross, author of The Mood Cure.

We’ll be bringing you interviews and behind-the-scenes content as we explore how nutrition transforms mental wellness.

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