Mikhaila Peterson

Harvard Neuroscientist: We’re Over-Medicating Kids for Normal Human Behavior | Adam Omary EP 237

Dr. Adam Omary is a psychologist, neuroscientist, and researcher at the Cato Institute. His doctoral work at Harvard focused on the rise in gender dysphoria among adolescent girls, and he is currently writing a book on the psychology of progress. In this episode, we discuss what the latest data on puberty blockers shows, why psychiatric diagnoses continue to rise despite living in one of the safest and most prosperous periods in human history, and how incentives within the mental health system may be contributing to overdiagnosis. We also get into the rapid increase in autism diagnoses following the pandemic, the expansion of the DSM, SSRI use among young adults, smartphone bans in schools, social media and mental health, and the difference between normal human suffering and psychiatric illness. Topics: • New data on puberty blockers • Gender dysphoria research • SSRI use in Gen Z • The expansion of the DSM • Overdiagnosis in psychiatry • Autism diagnoses after COVID • Smartphone bans in schools • Social media and mental health • Grief vs. major depressive disorder • Incentives in the mental health industry • The psychology of progress Find Dr. Omary: humanprogress.org Cato Institute For a high quality education and community consider enrolling in Peterson Academy: https://petersonacademy.com/ Chapters: 00:00 Intro 03:20 Why 30% of Gen Z College Students Are Taking SSRIs 10:45 The Mental Health Crisis: Overdiagnosis or Real Epidemic? 18:30 How the DSM Expanded From 130 Pages to 1,130 Pages 27:15 The Financial Incentives Driving Psychiatric Diagnoses 35:40 Puberty Blockers: What the New Longitudinal Data Shows 46:00 Gender Dysphoria, Adolescence & The Challenges of Treatment 55:20 Autism Rates After COVID: What Explains the Surge? 01:04:15 Lockdowns, Development & Children's Mental Health 01:11:30 Smartphone Bans: What the Evidence Actually Shows 01:18:40 Why Adam Omary Challenges the Social Media Narrative 01:25:45 Grief, Depression & The Medicalization of Human Suffering 01:33:30 The Future of Mental Health Research & Psychiatry 01:40:00 Final Thoughts —Research Sites— Newsletter/website: https://mikhailapeterson.com Fuller Research Foundation: https://fullerresearch.org Lion Diet: https://liondiet.com Biotoxin: https://biotoxin.com Prescribed-Harm: https://prescribed-harm.com —Socials— Meta: https://facebook.com/mikhailapete​rsonpodcast X: https://x.com/MikhailaFuller Instagram: https://instagram.com/mikhailapeterson TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mikhailapeterson Keywords: Dr Adam Omary Harvard, puberty blockers longitudinal data, Gen Z SSRIs overdiagnosis, DSM psychiatric overdiagnosis, gender dysphoria surge teenage girls, Jonathan Haidt social media mental health, ADHD overdiagnosis, autism COVID diagnosis, Cato Institute mental health, Mikhaila Peterson podcast, psychology of progress