The Dangers of Diagnosis

Growing up in the 2010s and 2020s exposed me to an alarming phenomenon that, until recently, I never gave much thought. Serious mental health conditions, depression and anxiety the most common, were lightly thrown around by my peers as if they were personality traits. In high school and college especially, I remember it was “cool” to be depressed and anxious.

The colloquial usage of these diagnoses underscores the dangerous direction in which the American mental health system is heading. Labeling culture has taken over, and it is defining young lives before they have a chance to define themselves.

1 in 5 American children have been diagnosed with a mental health condition. The psychiatric industry’s liberal usage of once-consequential labels is damaging on multiple levels. For starters, the diagnoses are often accompanied by the “Serotonin Theory”, which purports that the patient’s condition is caused by an imbalance of serotonin levels that only medication can solve. Yet research has never proven this theory; scientists are unable to attribute depression or anxiety to an imbalance of chemicals in the brain.

The consequences of platforming this myth are striking. Telling a young person that they were born with defective brain chemistry strips away self-agency. The ensuing labels become a prophecy – a chronic condition rather than a temporary challenge.

Oftentimes, children are diagnosed with depression and anxiety for experiencing normal, ephemeral emotions, especially when going through tumultuous times like puberty. What was once a heavy diagnosis, reserved for extreme cases, has become ubiquitous, simultaneously diluting the labels themselves and invalidating the experience of those with truly debilitating conditions.

Moreover, diagnoses inherently disincentivize alternative solutions to medication. Why try anything other than drugs if your condition is purely chemical?

I have witnessed countless teens and young adults express their mental health diagnoses as if they were a badge of honor. As if having depression and anxiety were somehow aspirational. They are supposed to be problems that are worked to be solved, not lifelong aspects of identity.

None of this commentary is to blame patients who become a victim of their labels. A diagnosis from a doctor carries enormous weight. The problem lies within the medication-first approach of the mental health industry, and the ensuing culture it promotes.

At UnScripted, we are fighting to reverse this culture of diagnose and medicate, advocating for a holistic approach that uses medication as a last resort instead of as the first line of defense.

I envision a world where normal, human emotions are embraced, not pathologized. UnScripted will make that world a reality.

Marcus Orlando is a 22 year old graduate of WashU in St. Louis and the co-founder of UnScripted.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Data and Statistics on Children’s Mental Health. June 5, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/children-mental-health/data-research/index.html cdc.gov

Ang, B. (2022). Is the chemical imbalance an ‘urban legend’? An exploration … Journal of Affective Disorders Reports. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadr.2022.100124 sciencedirect.com