--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The way the diagnosis is being made in…" description: "\"“The way the diagnosis is being made in America was not something we intended,” he said. “Kids with extreme irritability and moodiness and temper tantr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4f/jon-ronson-1772_bipolar_the-way-the-diagnosis-is-being-made-in-a_652426.jpg" --- # The way the diagnosis is being made in America was not… ![“The way the diagnosis is being made in America was not something we intended,” he said. “Kids with extreme irritability and moodiness and temper tantrums are being called bipolar.” quote by Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4f/jon-ronson-1772_bipolar_the-way-the-diagnosis-is-being-made-in-a_652426.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4f/jon-ronson-1772_bipolar_the-way-the-diagnosis-is-being-made-in-a_652426.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4f/jon-ronson-1772_bipolar_the-way-the-diagnosis-is-being-made-in-a_652426.jpg) > ““The way the diagnosis is being made in America was not something we intended,” he said. “Kids with extreme irritability and moodiness and temper tantrums are being called bipolar.”” [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. American psychiatry may over‑diagnose bipolar disorder in children, labeling normal irritability as illness. **In simple terms:** Children’s mood swings are sometimes misdiagnosed as bipolar. Key Takeaway Question diagnostic criteria. Themes mental health diagnosis child development Mood critical concerned Type analytical investigative When to use this quote - clinical practice - parental guidance Key Concepts psychiatry medical ethics Questions to Reflect On - How can clinicians better differentiate normal behavior from disorder? - What alternatives exist to medication for managing irritability? A Different Perspective Over‑diagnosis can lead to unnecessary medication and stigma. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bipolar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bipolar/) [Temper tantrums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/temper-tantrums/) ## Related quotes > [I have not been an easygoing guy. I think it's called bipolar manic depression. I've got a rich history of that in my family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stiller/i-have-not-been-an-easygoing-guy-i-think-it-s-called-bipolar-manic/) [Ben Stiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stiller/) > [I wrote a show - just as a joke, actually - and called it 'Bipolar, Bath, & Beyond,' just to bring some humor to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenifer-lewis/i-wrote-a-show-just-as-a-joke-actually-and-called-it-bipolar-bath/) [Jenifer Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenifer-lewis/) > [“But they’re being labeled bipolar. That’s an enormous label that’s going to stay with you for the rest of your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/but-they-re-being-labeled-bipolar-that-s-an-enormous-label-that-s/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“Bryna is convinced her children are bipolar, and I wasn’t going to swoop into a stranger’s home for an afternoon and tell them all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/bryna-is-convinced-her-children-are-bipolar-and-i-wasn-t-going-to/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [Sometimes labeling is only useful, like with OCD. Once you're labeled you can be treated. 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Once you're labeled you can be treated. On other occasions labeling leads to tyranny, like with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/sometimes-labeling-is-only-useful-like-with-ocd-once-you-re-labeled/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“I wonder if I’ve got any of the 374 mental disorders,” I thought. I opened the manual again. And I instantly diagnosed myself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/i-wonder-if-i-ve-got-any-of-the-374-mental-disorders-i-thought-i/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [Trying to prove you’re not a psychopath is even harder than trying to prove you’re not mentally ill,’ said Tony.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/trying-to-prove-you-re-not-a-psychopath-is-even-harder-than-trying-to/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“It may very well be that the frotteurist is a helpless victim in the clutches of his obsession, but it’s equally possible that he’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/it-may-very-well-be-that-the-frotteurist-is-a-helpless-victim-in-the/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“We are defining the boundaries of normality by tearing apart the people outside of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/we-are-defining-the-boundaries-of-normality-by-tearing-apart-the/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [My worryingly paradoxical thought process could be summarized thus: Thank God I don't believe in the secret rulers of the world. 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It's the rock called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/what-a-brilliant-cover-story-in-a-success-obsessed-society-like-this/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [Guy Savelli's role in the War on Terror began when half-a-dozen strangers, within days of one another, contacted him via e-mail and telephone in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/guy-savelli-s-role-in-the-war-on-terror-began-when-half-a-dozen/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [My paranoia never ends, but I haven't been paranoid about being spied on my shadowy forces for some time now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/my-paranoia-never-ends-but-i-haven-t-been-paranoid-about-being-spied/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“It is an awful lot harder, Tony told me, to convince people you’re sane than it is to convince them you’re crazy. “I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/it-is-an-awful-lot-harder-tony-told-me-to-convince-people-you-re-sane/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [It is slightly chilling to realize there are rational, functional people up there employed to spot, nurture, and exploit those down here among us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/it-is-slightly-chilling-to-realize-there-are-rational-functional/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) [Explore all 209 Jon Ronson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) ## More Bipolar quotes > [Sometimes labeling is only useful, like with OCD. 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Yet they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/preeti-shenoy/creativity-is-closely-associated-with-bipolar-disorder-this-condition/) [Preeti Shenoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/preeti-shenoy/) > [Ordinarily he was insane, but he had lucid moments when he was merely stupid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/ordinarily-he-was-insane-but-he-had-lucid-moments-when-he-was-merely/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [I was hoping that I could say stuff about mental illness that maybe people didn't know. You know, speak up for bipolar disorder and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-millegan/i-was-hoping-that-i-could-say-stuff-about-mental-illness-that-maybe/) [Eric Millegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-millegan/) > [I have never gone for a diagnosis and I don't consider myself to be bipolar, but I have extreme moods. I get heightened. 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On the floats we would get the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-fisher/i-thought-i-would-inaugurate-a-bipolar-pride-day-you-know-with-floats/) [Carrie Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-fisher/) > [I just always wanted to study human behavior because every psychologist that I would talk to would tell me I was bipolar, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-gates/i-just-always-wanted-to-study-human-behavior-because-every/) [Kevin Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-gates/) > [“Insomuch as the structure of this book parallels that of my own mind, it boasts about as much order and linearity as a hallucination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-moezzi/insomuch-as-the-structure-of-this-book-parallels-that-of-my-own-mind/) Melody Moezzi > [“In our family "whim-wham" is code, a defanged reference to any number of moods and psychological disorders, be they depressive, manic, or schizoaffective. Back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lovelace/in-our-family-whim-wham-is-code-a-defanged-reference-to-any-number-of/) [David Lovelace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lovelace/) [Browse all 373 Bipolar quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bipolar/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The way the diagnosis is being made in America was not something we intended,” he said. “Kids with extreme irritability and moodiness and temper tantrums are being called bipolar.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jon Ronson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/the-way-the-diagnosis-is-being-made-in-america-was-not-something-we/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bipolar" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/the-way-the-diagnosis-is-being-made-in-america-was-not-something-we/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4f/jon-ronson-1772_bipolar_the-way-the-diagnosis-is-being-made-in-a_652426.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4f/jon-ronson-1772_bipolar_the-way-the-diagnosis-is-being-made-in-a_652426.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4f/jon-ronson-1772_bipolar_the-way-the-diagnosis-is-being-made-in-a_652426.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The way the diagnosis is being made in America was not something we intended,” he said. “Kids with extreme…” — Jon Ronson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jon Ronson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The way the diagnosis is being...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/the-way-the-diagnosis-is-being-made-in-america-was-not-something-we/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/the-way-the-diagnosis-is-being-made-in-america-was-not-something-we/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```