Channel 4 ADHD documentary

[crackerjackbaby]

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

I don’t drug my daughter to make life easier. Highly trained NHS professionals put her on life changing medication which she wanted to help her manage her condition in an attempt to stop her trying to kill herself. It worked. She has a life and is going to university. Being strict, making her mask and not seeing the huge impact ADHD had on her life cost her her mental health and the NHS/ education system a huge amount of money. We did all the organic food, outdoors and limited screens thing her whole childhood. It didn’t work. Getting answers and support for her ADHD did work.

She replied that that was absolutely her belief.

The show was dreadful and hugely dangerous in its agenda and one sided view. It’s encouraging parents to whip extremely vulnerable young people off medication and will devastate and confuse those that have got answers and are building a life

So you don’t believe there are any parents out there wanting a concrete excuse or any charlatans playing on their insecurities and making a shed load of cash out of this? It all feels a bit trendy atm, way too many people going round saying ‘I have a diagnosis!’ like its fashionable.

I have worked with genuinely, severely autistic children, those with Asperger’s, etc. I worry genuine cases are getting lost. I know parents who are seeking diagnoses in order to claim more benefits/get bigger council houses. I also know parents excusing their children being violent to others because ‘they have ADHD’. My best friend on the school run is actually diagnosed with ADHD, she’s fabulous, and she agrees it does not excuse violence to others. It is not a get of jail free card!

I felt reassured that finally there is the otherside of the picture being presented on mainstream media. I hope the tide will slowly turn to a more balanced, pragmatic view on the difficulties we experience, that doesn't rely solely on the medical, biological and pharmaceutical explanations and solutions. puts hard hat on

Sign me up for some of that slow release cocaine. Once I read that sentence I couldn’t take in the rest of the post. ADHD you see

Your struggle to believe is quite irrelevant to a medical condition you don’t understand.
I could say I struggle to believe that being fat is a real condition that needs medical jabs to help people behave normally but that’s because I’m a normal weight so of course I wouldn’t understand so I stay in my lane.

There is more than one kind of adhd. You describe a proportion.

ADHD is under diagnosed in the UK. If you’re talking about PIP it’s needs allocated not diagnosis allocated. Your friend has zero right to diagnose other people’s children and decide what they are or aren’t or what their needs are. That is for the professionals in their lives. ADHD destroys lives.

The wait lists for NHS ADHD diagnosis are insanely long not least because we now know how it presents in the other half of the population- women and girls. The NHS has highlighted that what needs to happen is more NHS diagnosis so desperate families don’t need to turn to private practitioners many can’t afford and our diagnosis rates can be where they should be.

The diagnosis isn't paid for, the queue skip to the examination is. My son is very likely both autistic and ADHD. I say very likely because he's been seen by neurology and neuropsychology and is under the sen specialists but until he has the specific tests we don't know his exact diagnosis. He was put on the list for this at 3, he's 8.5.

Thank goodness we have a massively supportive school who see his struggles and are happy to give accomodations as required.

I haven't seen it and one sided views are not helpful, if that is correct. However it is well known within the medical community that private diagnosis is a money making sham, everyone who seeks a private diagnosis gets one so I'm glad this is being exposed. Some kids are very active, some adults are too. Tiredness, junk food and screens don't help levels of hyper activity. Some kids don't have boundaries enforced and appear to have issues. All of this contributes. Is medication necessary - it can have serious side effects. And I say this as someone who has been told I fidget, never stop moving, can't focus or alternatively hyper focus and my son is the same. He is much worse when tired or with long stretches on screens. Thank goodness this wasn't a trend when I was young, I am who I am as is my son, there is no need to medicalise, diagnose or medicate.

The child on the programme last night had improved behaviour when the parent actually restricted screen time on devices to an hour a day. I suspect the behaviour of his brother who didn’t have adhd was the same. She also started taking them out and doing things with them. I suspect many children who’ve been told they have adhd and are drugged would improve with better parenting.

An ADHD diagnosis is subjective. There's no CT scan or blood test. The meds are low dose amphetamines designed to change behaviour rather than correct an underlying quantifiable matter such as low iron levels.

Are you a psychiatrist with expertise in adhd?

then your opinion is just that and has no legitimacy

It's a shame that they haven't managed to come up with a drug that helps people to manage their ignorance and prejudice. Some people on this thread could really benefit from it.

My son was like that as a child. He (correctly) was just thought of as a very active, wilful little boy. He found it hard to concentrate, and needed constant mental stimulation.

Both the schools and I kept strict boundaries in place, and it worked.

He's a very laid back adult now - just grew out of it.

There is more than one type of ADHD and it wasn’t focusing on the private sector but that this recognised medical condition doesn’t exist at . It had zero professionals or evidence from the other side, quoted a GP ( the RCGP is now distancing itself from), whipped a child off his medication for an experiment( is that ethically ok) and found that zero processed food or screens and more outdoor activity did not help him in school. The conclusion was still there is no ADHD, school is to blame for ADHD struggles and schools need to do more creative activities to eradicate this hugely disabling condition that wrecks lives. 😳

Dreadful journalism and a shockingly awful programme, nobody could call it a documentary.

No his behaviours did not improve in school. Did you miss that or just ignore that fact? Did you not see the update at the end that due to his behaviour in school he is now back on his medication?

This thread is waaaay more depressing than the documentary.

So he didn’t have ADHD, lucky him.

I haven't watched it - I'm not sure I am going to because it would likely rile me up too much.

My youngest is AuADHD and started being medicated in April of this year. It has been life changing. We generally only give it to him on school days though. Are there things outside out medication we can do to help him (less screen time, avoiding certain e numbers etc)? Yes - definitely. Is it a one or the other situation? No.

I sought out, paid for and received my ADHD diagnosis in my 40s. I work full time and at quite a high level but with increasing difficulty. I have experienced suicidal ideation previously and I'm currently struggling to cope with my life. I cannot take medication for physical health reasons. I have deep, deep shame about not just the diagnosis but the day to day impact on my life. Only three people know of my diagnosis my adult kids and my current boss.

But what makes me weep is looking back at younger me and seeing the wasted potential from my childhood. If I had known then and had received support I think I would have passed my GCSEs and not failed my first degree. It makes me so sad but still ashamed.

Thankfully scientists, doctors, psychologists, educationalists and various other professionals disagree with you. Also thankfully lots of charities offer support to counter the terrible mess this TV show has tried to create.

Are you saying low iron levels cause ADHD? Or just making a random link?

An ADHD diagnosis is not subjective. There are clear yes or no questions for a starting point.