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HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS I  JUL / AUG 2025 39 • Parents have reported decreased ADHD symptoms after their children participated in activities in green areas compared to non- green areas. 399 400 • In a controlled experiment, children with ADHD who took a walk in a park showed improved attention performance, compared to those who walked in urban setting. 401 Balancing the Paradox: Overdiagnosis, Genuine Distress, and Intervention Risks Children’s mental health inAmerica presents a paradox for clinicians and policymakers: overdiagnosis of conditions likeADHD, depres- sion, and anxiety coexists with a genuine rise in distress. This tension, driven by factors like screen time, social isolation, and academic pressure discussed earlier, complicates efforts to address youth mental health effectively. Data confirms a real rise in youth mental health struggles. National surveys report that the number of adolescents experiencing persis- tent sadness or hopelessness increased from 28% in 2011 to 42% in 2021. 402 Suicide rates for ages 10–24 rose 62% from 2007 to 2021, after remaining stable from 2001 to 2007, 403 and emergency department visits for self-harm among ages 10–14 surged 63% from 2009 to 2018. 404 Yet, overdiagnosis remains a significant concern. Research shows ADHD has the strongest evidence of overdiagnosis, with studies not- ing that for youth with milder symptoms, “the harms associated with an ADHD diagnosis may often outweigh the benefits.” 405 Schools, eager to “fix kids” by addressing behavioural behavioral challenges, may inadvertently contribute to this trend by encouraging diagnoses to access support, potentially mislabelling mislabeling typical developmental behaviours behaviors as disorders. Similar concerns exist for depression and anxiety, where overdiagnosis risks labelling normal emotional or developmental challenges as clinical conditions, poten- tially increasing diagnoses without clear evidence that these youth benefit from treatment. 406 407 Dominant mental health approaches, often relying on reductive diagnoses and targeted treatments, face scrutiny for overlooking envi- ronmental factors. Some interventions may even cause harm. For example, universal school-based mental health programs can inadver- tently increase distress in certain adolescents by encouraging rumination, though evidence is debated. 408 Such over-pathologization may lead to interventions that fail to address root causes. Echoing these concerns, Abigail Shrier’s 2024 book, BadTherapy: Why the Kids aren’t Growing Up , 409 contends that interventions like therapy and Social-Emotional Learning programs may weaken resilience by pathologizing normal emotions. This perspective raises concerns that practices like trauma-informed care and gentle parenting potentially pathologize normal emotions, undermine resilience, and contribute to rising anxiety and depression rates among children and teenagers. Though controversial and disputed by many experts, this perspective remains viable and warrants rigor- ous scientific investigation to either confirm or refute its validity. SECTION FOUR: THE OVERMEDICALIZATION OF OUR KIDS Medical overuse in children typically occurs by well-intended physicians and parents attempting to help a child. It has been estimated that roughly one-third of healthcare spending in the United States is wasteful and does not improve patient health. 410 American healthcare operates in a marketplace where incentives, when misaligned, can foster and encourage overuse by allowing stakeholders to maximize profits at the expense of consumer health and wellbeing. In recent decades, American children have, as a product of these misaligned incentives, been subject to an unprecedented period of over-prescription driven, in large part, by corporate influence, with demonstrable consequences for their health. The information below offers an assessment of how the medical systemmay be exacerbating the chronic disease epidemic in children and is summarized from the published scientific literature. 310 Agricultural Transformation in Focus at Corteva Agriscience ‘Growing for Good’ Initiative. https://www.corteva.com/resources/media-center/agricultural- transformation-in-focus-at-corteva-agriscience-growing-for-good-initiative.html (2023). 311 BAYER CONVERTS R&D INVESTMENT INTO INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS | BayerTraits | Crop Science US. https://www.cropscience.bayer.us/news-press/bayer-traits/ bayer-converts-r-and-d-investment-into-innovative-products (2023). 312 Syngenta Financial Report 2023. https://www.syngenta.com/sites/default/files/bond-investor-information/financial-results/financial-report-2023.pdf (2023). 313 BASF Group - BASF Report 2023. https://report.basf.com/2023/en/combined-managements-report/basf-group.html (2023). 314 Mlinarić, A., Horvat, M., & Šupak Smolčić, V. (2017). Dealing with the positive publication bias: Why you should really publish your negative results. Biochemia medica, 27(3), 030201. https://doi.org/10.11613/BM.2017.030201. 315 Bero, L., Anglemyer, A., Vesterinen, H. & Krauth, D. (2016) The relationship between study sponsorship, risks of bias, and research outcomes in atrazine exposure studies conducted in non-human animals: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Environment International 92–93, 597–604. 316 Bero, L., Anglemyer, A., Vesterinen, H. & Krauth, D. (2016) The relationship between study sponsorship, risks of bias, and research outcomes in atrazine exposure studies conducted in non-human animals: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Environment International 92–93, 597–604. 317 Vom Saal, F. S., & Vandenberg, L. N. (2021). Update on the Health Effects of Bisphenol A: Overwhelming Evidence of Harm. Endocrinology, 162(3), bqaa171. https://doi. org/10.1210/endocr/bqaa171. 318 vom Saal, F. S., & Hughes, C. (2005). An extensive new literature concerning low-dose effects of bisphenol A shows the need for a new risk assessment. Environmental health perspectives, 113(8), 926–933. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.7713. 319 Gaber N, Bero L, Woodruff TJ. The Devil they Knew: Chemical Documents Analysis of Industry Influence on PFAS Science. Ann Glob Health. 2023 Jun 1;89(1):37. doi: 10.5334/aogh.4013. PMID: 37273487; PMCID: PMC10237242. 320 Department of Toxic Substances Control. (n.d.). Emerging chemicals of concern. Retrieved May 14, 2025, from https://dtsc.ca.gov/emerging- chemicals-of-concern. 321 S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2008). Initial risk-based prioritization of high production volume (HPV) chemicals (EPA/600/R-08/075). Washington, DC: U.S. EPA. 322 Gaber, N., Bero, L., & Woodruff, T. J. (2023). The Devil they Knew: Chemical Documents Analysis of Industry Influence on PFAS Science. Annals of global health, 89(1), 37. https://doi.org/10.5334/aogh.401. 323 Nakajima, N. (2021) Green Advertising and Green Public Relations as Integration Propaganda. Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society 21, 334–348. 324 OpenSecrets. (2024). Chemical & related manufacturing: Lobbying, 2024. https://www.opensecrets.org/federal- lobbying/industries/summary?cycle=2024&id=N13. 325 OpenSecrets.org. (n.d.). Federal Lobbying: Industries Summary (N13, 2021 Cycle). from https://www.opensecrets.org/federal- lobbying/industries/ summary?cycle=2021&id=N13.