Channel 4 ADHD documentary

[crackerjackbaby]

Totally totally one sided. And very dangerous as a result of that. AIBU to think this?

I was merely stating facts.

I wasn't saying whether it matters or not.

The facts stated are relevant for the debate.

the meds have side effects. They mask a problem rather than fix it.

I knew there was an agenda on here. An agenda that has been slowly growing trying to undermine... why is that?

Why does my diagnosis offend so many of you? I do not claim PIP, I do not have medication for it and I work full time. Yet apparently it still offends you.

You have absolutely no idea the struggles we face all our lives and the amount if energy I have to expend just so my life doesn't go to absolute shit. What happened to walk a mile in someone else's shoes?

They are coming for autism now amd it's already started happening.

With this hurtful agenda, you're actually damaging a lot of women who are finally getting recognised in this ND space where it was fully taken by boys. Nobody cared then did you? Women in late 30s onwards are the biggest rise in diagnosis because we finally realised what it was, why it was and what we can do.

Quite simply, my diagnosis doesn't affect any of you in any way so keep your uneducated opinions to yourselves.

Most medicines do that. Paracetamol "masks" a headache. How is it different?

It's weird isn't it. Maybe people would prefer we were a drain on the mental health services instead, which I would be without my meds. Maybe addiction services or gasp benefits?!

I know!! Diagnosis of both adhd and asc has enabled my dc to get their care adjusted which has lead to better outcomes, given them crucial services,given them access to medication and kept them out of inpatient which costs the tax payer a huge amount of money. It is enabling them to access education which will lead to them becoming tax payers . Undiagnosed and untreated ADSC costs the tax payer £17 billion a year but still some obsessives want to deny those that struggle with the huge impact it has on life the well researched help they need.

It’s frankly bonkers.

Regarding NHS triaging - I attempted to go via the NHS route before I went private and I was refused access to the waiting list having completed (with honest answers) a screening questionnaire about my childhood. Having looked into how this screening questionnaire is scored, it is simply not possible for it to flag you as potentially having ADHD unless your presentation in childhood was overtly "difficult" - e.g. resulted in poor grades at school, getting into trouble, disruptive in the classroom etc. Which, as is well known, is often not the classic female presentation of ADHD. When I went through the private assessment, we discussed my childhood and how the common threads of ADHD have been present through my life but have only led me to difficulty later in life (which again, is not uncommon at all in females).

I have full confidence in my private diagnosis - I was very picky with choosing an individual to do it and was very clear that I wasn't just seeking confirmation. So based on my experience the NHS are screening out people who do have ADHD from seeking a diagnosis because they don't present in a particular way.

I think people have particularly weird attitudes to medicating "moral failure" (see also anti depressants, weight loss jabs etc) - basically we should be trying harder not medicating ourselves.

They must be exhausting people to be around. There is no medal for suffering.

The reason being gay, trans, being neurodivergent or Deaf, or Black, or working clsss etc etc etc becoming "identities" is because all these groups face (in different ways and to different extents) discrimination, stigma, oppression and forming a collective identity is a response to that. Whether it's Gay Pride or Autism Awareness it's a similar root that makes identity important.

There's not a single "ADHD gene" that you can point to as a biological marker. There's no biological marker for intelligence, or depression, or many other ways that our brains work that have a hereditary component.

My neurodivergent son is similar to me in many ways - I can just see his brain working in the way mine works which shows up in all kinds of ways, but it's way more complex than just him getting the "ADHD gene" from me.

But you cant self diagnose any other illness and expect to be treated/accommodated for it the way self diagnosed ADHD people do?

It took probably over 30 years from start of my symptoms to actually get the correct diagnosis of my AI disease.

During that time I actually did go privately to London and was told I had X. I later found out that that particular clinic and charity pretty much told everyone they had X.

Local rheumatologists were very dismissive of the clinic and later research proved that they were just a nodding dog hospital. But I was desperate, as I assume a lot of parents are in this scenario.

I believe ADHD is real. I also think back in "our day" freedom from screens, freedom to run about and play with far fewer structured activities helped manage some of the less severe cases.

My cousin was diagnosed in the 90s and my DN also is diagnosed. I see clearly the struggles they have faced and am sympathetic to those who have extra pressure on their or their children's lives. It really isn't an easy condition to live with.

But there is too much repetitive social media taking normal everyday stresses and action and pathologising them into ADHD traits. Which then make people believe they must have ADHD and seek a diagnosis- and as above I believe unscrupulous clinics exist to give a diagnosis.

What do you want to happen then?

More people diagnosed and more people being given drugs to help them? More people to change their lifestyle? More research into the environmental factors that cause neurodivergent children/babies?

ADHD may be getting more prevalent and may be more serious in some people than others. However, your militancy on this thread suggests to me that you are looking at it from too much of a personal perspective. The programme was looking at it as a societal concern. We do, as a society, need to remove dependency on drugs not increase the number of medicated conditions. The programme makes sensible suggestions that will benefit the majority of mildly afflicted people. You cannot in all seriousness pretend that some of these problematic behaviours are not exacerbated by poor parenting, poor diet and excessive screen time?

I say all of this as a parent of a child on an Independent Education Plan, behind in all of his development and with issues focusing. We hold him to high standards whilst also supporting him and he is a very happy kid. Do I wish it was different, absolutely, do I think medication will help, may be in the short term but the long term effects are unknown and that is too risky in my opinion.

Wow who knew every struggling kid in the uk presents like Mtbdadder‘s!!!’None of us who have children that require medication hold our kids to high standards, we’re all just weak and lazy.

🤔Actually like many I have teams of highly qualified professionals advising what’s the best for my kids as opposed to some random who thinks all kids present like hers and parents should all bow down to her superior parenting as opposed to listening to highly qualified professional advice.

Also all the fear mongering about the long term use of medication. It is one of the most studied medicines with a very long track record of safety. The risk of not medicating is not considered.

Yep and extensive research into ADHD has been done by independent experts in the field and published by the NHS. Some posters just don’t like the outcome or the facts being highlighted because they don’t fit with their prejudices as regards ADHD.

Mmmh... that was a constructive and considered response...

You haven't helped me see the other side of the debate here. In fact you've just confirmed my suspicions!

I really don’t care.

Illustrating huge ignorance as regards ADHD on a thread about ADHD, linking it to poor parenting whilst suggesting we should all parent to your “high standards” is hardly considered or constructive is it.

You do realise ADHD varies hugely and the stereotype of it only being something naughty boys struggle with is long gone?

I meant more credible

My original post recognised that, like many neurodivergencies, ADHD is a spectrum condition.

I'm not at all ignorant on this subject thank you. In the early years of my eldest I spent countless hours researching how to help him. I bought and read books as well as reading blog posts and scientific journals. Part of what that taught me was that there is an entire industry set up to exploit parental fears.

Similar to yourself as said in one of your previous posts we have had multiple, very expensive, consultants and therapists work with our eldest. How much actual difference have they made? I would answer not very much if anything at all... The school SENCO, equally useless. The IEP and the teachers and classroom assistants, absolute heroes and fantastic! There is not a one sized fits all and I would never propose that there is.

What I do propose is that there is an industry that makes money out of appealing to parental fears and parental laziness. If you can't see that then you are the one who is really the ignoramus in this discussion.

Anyway, you seem to want to echo chamber to validate your beliefs I won't be engaging further.

Parental laziness, just wow!

Some parents are lazy. Having a child with ADHD can be very hard work and lets not pretend all parents are saints they are not.

Unfortunately it has become a profitable market from assessments to books to therapy

the poster has not said all parents or that it is all a farce to make money but both are to consider

The idea around ADHD being an issue more so in modern life is an interesting one. On a podcast I listened to (can't remember the name) the discussion was around are too many people being diagnosed. What the expert put forward was that for many their symptoms were likely to be more easily managed when we didn't live in a world as we are now where we are constantly bombarded with information and ideas to process. We are all over stimulated this for a person with lesser symptoms could manage better than they can now.

For memory I think he said he expected around 8% of people to be diagnosed in the future and much of that is down to how we are living

Well the government say they are looking at these conditions, so I guess they’ll take opinions from medical experts, carers, and others, and make benefit decisions based on that. 🤷‍♀️

I agree, this is why the NHS does intense thorough assessments of the child; these diagnoses are not handed out like smarties. I remember at the welcome event some parents interrupting the lady speaking and shouting that high school not supporting dc and back again a second time as was diagnosed as not having it and it being behavioural what joke etc etc." Her behaviour was appalling. Now those are the people who have parenting to blame.

I have 3 dcs, 2 are NT, and one is AuADHD (diagnosed by nhs). All have had the same parenting and same environment, yet the difference is astounding since birth. Maybe if I wasn't in this situation it would be too easy to make generalisations though.

Indeed, I expect a large proportion of the increased diagnoses are from the people (esp women and girls) who would previously have been unrecognised because they are far from the "naughty disruptive child" stereotype.