PsyDactic
PsyDactic
T. Ryan O'Leary
Childhood Deficit Disorder and the Atrophy of American Childhood
33 minutes Posted Dec 10, 2025 at 10:00 pm.
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Dr. O'Leary proposes Childhood Deficit Disorder as a way to conceptualize the rise in mental health issues among modern youth, exploring how systemic changes in culture and environment contribute. He contrasts the "free-range" parenting style prior to the 1980s, which fostered autonomy and resilience, with the modern trend of intensive, managerial parenting driven by economic anxiety and a "culture of fear" fueled by media. Dr. O'Leary explores how children's independent mobility has plummete...