Channel 4 ADHD documentary

I think schools now are pretty dry places for all kids and staff thanks to Gove but having done Alevels in the 80s as somebody who had ADHD and been through them with my children ( all of us untreated at the time) the disaster was the same. Old exams often tested direct memory and basic repetition however modern tests ask students to solve new problems using what they know more. We were all a car crash.The fact is we didn’t have medication or even diagnosis for girls in the 80s, We do now so women and girls quite rightly want to be diagnosed and have access to treatment. It goes beyond academics, the impact on mental health is awful.

It's not ALWAYS profoundly debilitating and life limiting. Many of us learn coping mechanisms and do pretty well. I managed to make it work for me rather than against in many ways. However my life has changed in ways that have made it more difficult to do that now, so I medicate. I won't always. When life changes again I'll stop the medicationand I'll cope. However that doesn't mean my experience is the same as everyone else's. Like any other condition, the effects are different for different people (rote learning and memorisation were ideal for me, the last thing I needed was individual treatment) and are hugely influenced by other lifestyle factors. I was definitely not one of the naughty kids, I was never disruptive - quite the opposite - didn't have too much screentime (I'm of the age of three channels on a huge box and no remote control) and I kept my struggles to myself, which doesn't mean they didn't exist and haven't caused trauma of a kind. However I look at those who society has left behind, those whose struggles have been more obvious and I soooo recognise what's going on. Not always - some people are useless, or lazy, or bad or however you choose to categorise them. Some of them have been screaming out silently for help their whole lives and haven't received it. I remember hearing about people having what was broadly called a nervous breakdown - including one of my aunts - and I think a lot of those were probably the heavily masked reaching a point of critical mass and no longer able to hide it. I think at some point that might have been me were it not for the medication - and no-one would have expected it in any way.

Of course people who were 'different' were simply institutionalised not too long ago. Or they became what we saw as the local weirdos, the habitual crinimals, the dregs of society. Women were called 'hysterical' - yep, hormones were certainly responsible for a lot of that but I think a certain amount will have been the ADHD mask slipping under pressure. Now they have a voice instead. Remember it wasn't long ago that people used to whisper the word 'cancer' behind their hands, with looks of shock and horror, and tried to keep it secret. Now we follow people's most intimate moments on their 'cancer journey' thanks to social media.

I don't think there are any more cases of ADHD, I just think we're hearing from them now and we're getting used to listening.

Thanks for sharing. I am interested to know your thoughts on the pressures of exam content at GCSE/A-Level. Do you think teenagers are being pressured to memorise and assimilate far too much information for their age? As compared to a few decades ago? It feels wrong if children are needing to be medicated to survive the current school system, leaving parents unsure what to do for the best…

Pretty much, yes - but the point is that if you have ADHD the effects of that drug are different. Stimulants can have a relaxing effect on the ADHD brain. It's one of the things that made me realise ADHD is real. If my brain isn't different, why do I use stimulants to sleep? (a can of Coke really helps me to drop off because stimulants such as caffeine have a sedating effect on me) I take my (legally prescribed) amphetamine every morning and I'm far from wired or jittery. Quite often I could go back to bed! I was the same taking speed with friends as teenagers - they were all bouncing around, I was yawning. If that's normal they'd be called sedatives, not stimulants. I'm not in the UK but I understand there probably is a problem with the online diagnoses from random 'clinics', certainly that needs investigating, but that's not what this documentary was about. When they can explain the actual biological reason that stimulants work differently on the ADHD brain that is NOT down to ADHD then I'll happily believe it's not real. Until then...

A lot less than the £1billion a year untreated and unsupported ADHD costs the UK as a whole.

Of course there are nuances to every discussion but I feel particularly passionate about this one. ADHD is a subject that seems to stir up some particularly horrible views. We are portrayed to be lazy drug seekers who just can't be arsed to sort ourselves out and just want benefits and an easy life.

So many dismissive comments on this thread about how taking medication is some sort of moral failing. I wish people would just LISTEN to those with lived experience. None of us choose this.

This show has provoked the very worst of this with it's misinformation and one sided narrative.

@Batfear it’s about £30 a box cost price to the nhs, adhd medication

GPs in England are now refusing to do shared care even with NHS patients because of the “extra work” of pressing a button for a monthly prescription and checking blood pressure once a year. You monitor it yourself the rest of the time. Obviously you still get it free if you’re NHS but it puts more pressure onto the psychs already struggling with load as you have to go back to who diagnosed you ie the over run NHS ADHD departments struggling with wait lists running into years for diagnosis and a long wait for the start of med titration. Those on right to choose aren’t so lucky and have to pay. It just isn’t good enough.

I should add, a friend's daughter waited 2 years for the NHS to confirm her private diagnosis. She has now been waiting for over a year for her medication to be reviewed by a psychiatrist. In Scotland there is no shared care. The NHS simply dodges the responsibility for treatment by failing to have enough staff to diagnose.

just going in circles here so will leave it now ...

I empathise you and your dd have struggled. As I and others have. We hold different opinions and different experiences even if its partly shared

And re why did I watch it. It’s hard to make a complaint about a programme you haven’t watched. They shoved a question mark on the end of the title anyway to infer it was to be an informed programme. It wasn’t.

Oh come on, there are ways of having different opinions without breaking ethics, completely dismissing a condition vulnerable patients have whilst actively and very publically going against your professional body and employers viewpoint and masses of well respected research. Vulnerable people like my children deserve to have psychs they can trust within the NHS not psychs breaking ethics and publically ridiculing a condition that has a significant impact on their life.

I think you are misreading my posts

I never said education was an excuse I said that some people on the show were highly educated. They hold a different opinion, they are well read they are allowed to hold differently opinions and should not be silenced.

If MB struck off for this then so be it but I still think in the area of medicine questions and experts should be questioned, challenged and other opinions aired even if I strongly disagree with them

Why would you watch the show, the clue was in the title

I might have agreed with this until my son hit mid to late teens and started studying for exams. The exhaustion of being unable to concentrate, poor planning and poor memory were such that I then got him diagnosed (paid for, 2 year NHS waiting list, by which time he'd have left school). He's a bright lad, got straight As at Nat 5, but the difference between his ability to organise and study vs his sister were stark. The medication made the world of difference and he got great Higher grades which he wouldn't otherwise have managed. We also see a drop in impulsive behaviour eg compulsive eating. I do agree that poor behaviour shouldn't be tolerated, but there is a difference between poor behaviour and ADHD symptoms.

With my diagnosis the psychiatrist's report listed my symptoms and considered what other causes there could be and justified why he thought they were caused by ADHD and not e.g. trauma, brain injury

Education is not an excuse.Max Pemberton crossed the line re ethics and how an NHS doctor should behave in that programme. He had already crossed the line re Jason Arday.

https://unpacked4.wordpress.com/2026/08/16/dr-max-pemberton-and-the-ethics-he-left-behind/

A professional featured in it has criticised how her words were cherry picked and how damaging the message put out was. The RCGP has distanced itself from Iona Heath and The Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) have strongly criticised the programme stating that invalidating the condition does a disservice to patients and that focus should instead be directed toward fixing severe NHS waiting lists.

It was not ok.

Unfortunately there are tradeoffs with most medications. However, ADHD meds are well studied and have a proven track record of safety. They reduce many harms including those from mental health and addiction too. What amazing drugs they are.

Taking paracetamol every day can strain your organs. Chronic daily use raises the risk of liver damage, kidney disease, high blood pressure, and stomach ulcers or bleeding.

Well said. Thank goodness for medication in combination with lifestyle adaptations, and that the world is moving on, rather than letting people suffer resulting sometimes in severe mental health issues that contribute to early deaths. I speak from experience.

And my ADHD meds provide me with temporary relief from my symptoms.

Of course they are going to come out and say that and should do

C4 are often controversial but I am not going to agree in insisting that people (and some are highly educated) be silenced

It isn't going to make a blind bit of difference to how someone is assessed or medicated. These shows are on often about all areas of medication/treatments/conditions an alternative view that is not held in the NHS (or other medical establishments)

Paracetamol is to relieve a temporary pain/matter.

I think it’s been well explained by professionals, charities and those unfortunate enough to have it in their lives why such an ill balanced show peddling ADHD is a myth was so damaging and not ok. ADHD is already subjected to a huge amount of ignorance, stereotyping and stigma and said show also advocated whipping away a treatment proven to be hugely beneficial for many extremely vulnerable patients.

I never said parents of children with ADHD are any more lazy than parents with children without ADHD

I am aware that it often presents very differently in girls and more in line with an ADD (that is no longer used in this country) diagnoses due to the symptoms. The hyperactivity is noticeable the rest isn't so much but having the hyperactivity in the name of the diagnoses of the one symptom that is often most noticed.

Again aware that of the evidence. Many people with ADHD can work very well in highly stimulated environments but to really relax they need peace and quiet. We have very little of that in modern life now we are constantly and more than ever bombarded with information it was a consideration (from an expert) not a fact this impacts those with milder symptoms that may have managed before hence why we may see an increase in people being diagnosed (the understanding of ADHD is evolving)

Agree nothing wrong with educating yourself, buying books or private assessments. Though all assessments and follow up care needs to be better regulated. As with anything that will make money an industry will come out form this and this one is at present doing very very well. Not all involved have peoples interests are heart

The idea of ADHD being a myth is one that will be forever argued as with ASD and a number of other conditions. It wasn't shown as a balanced show it was clear from the start. What does it matter that some think its a myth, a diagnosis doesn't define someone even if their symptoms are severe

Intense thorough assessments are absolutely needed and should be standard. Along with the understanding of medication, how this monitoring should be managed, and possible negative impacts, follow up assessments. This takes times and effort from all involved.

I just have the just one so can not compare but its hard work (at times) your expectations have to change which is easier than it sounds