Young women are growing up surrounded by images and messages that shape how they think about their bodies and themselves.
Girlhood Translated by Suzanne Garfinkle-Crowell draws attention to three important issues facing young women today. Many are turning to mental health labels to help explain what they are feeling. At the same time, old ideas about how girls “should” behave can affect the way their emotions are understood. Social media algorithms often place self-diagnosis quizzes and dramatic stories in front of them, while magazines, films and television add to the pressure. Buzzwords such as ADHD, OCD and “toxic” have become part of everyday conversation, even when their meaning is not fully understood.
Beneath both issues is a simple need: young women want to feel heard and taken seriously.
The book suggests that adults should pause before placing a label on a young person’s behaviour. Listening with care and without judgement can reveal what may be happening beneath the surface. This approach can help young women make sense of their feelings, feel supported and develop a stronger sense of who they are.
Psychiatrist Suzanne Garfinkle-Crowell began noticing more girls arriving at her practice with lists of conditions they believed they might have, often after seeing mental health content online. Feelings such as worry, sadness or distress were increasingly described through labels such as anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder. She also saw how this language could create distance between girls and their parents, especially when adults reacted with alarm or brushed their concerns aside.
In Girlhood, Translated, Dr Garfinkle-Crowell considers how “therapy speak” is changing the way girls and young women describe themselves. This language can help them put difficult feelings into words and connect with others. However, quick self-diagnosis can also reinforce unfair stereotypes that girls are irrational or unstable. Through stories from her work, Dr Garfinkle-Crowell shows that labels may sometimes be used simply because young women want their experiences to be recognised. Her message is a reminder to respond with patience, curiosity and genuine attention.
Title: Girlhood, Translated: Understanding Girls in the Age of Therapy Speak and Self-Diagnosis
Author: Suzanne Garfinkle-Crowell
ISBN-10: 1398549762
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
