Normal or Neurodiverse? Challenging the Medicalisation of Childhood - Interview with Dr Sami Timimi

In this thought-provoking episode, host Katinka Blackford Newman sits down with Dr. Sami Timimi—consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and author of "Searching for Normal"—to explore the dramatic rise in psychiatric diagnoses among children.

Together, they question whether we are truly uncovering hidden illnesses or simply pathologising normal human variation, stress, and distress. Dr. Timimi shares his decades of experience inside mental health services and explains why he challenges the medical model applied to childhood. The conversation dives deep into the unintended consequences of labelling, the limitations of psychiatric diagnoses, and the risks of over-medicalising children’s emotions and behaviours.

Key topics include:

• Why rates of ADHD, autism, anxiety, and depression are soaring
• The subjective nature of psychiatric diagnoses
• The impact of labels on children, families, and society
• The role of medication and its long-term effects
• Alternatives to the medical model: resilience, connection, and understanding

If you’re a parent, educator, mental health professional, or simply curious about the future of mental health, this episode will challenge your assumptions and offer a fresh perspective.

🔔 If this conversation resonates, please like, subscribe, and leave a review to help these ideas reach more people!

You can watch this episode as a video on youtube