Is nobody watching the Great ADHD Myth?

[ILikeTrains]

I was expecting to see lots of chatter about this. 1/2hr in - interesting!

I remember that comedian Rory Bremner did a programme about ADHD. In it he was diagnosed with ADHD in Germany by Dr Katya. I think we even saw MRI imaging of Rory’s brain and how differently it reacted compared to non ADHD brain. I wonder if it’s the same Dr Katya in tonight’s programme?

Well balanced? It was the absolute opposite of balanced.

I assume you are dealing with a child with alledged ADHD so may well find it difficult to consider.

It was a bit weird when he said he definitely (fundamentally I think he said?) didn’t think he had ADHD but then went on to say the medication didn’t work because it didn’t have a stimulant effect on him. Thats the exact reaction a person with ADHD has to stimulants, which is why they are used to treat ADHD symptoms. Honestly so contradictory.

Hahahaha.where’s these options for therapy etc. you understand that adhd isn’t just not being able to sit still and having a low tolerance for rubbish?

I don't know if ADHD exists or not. I do know children's behaviour in primary school is shocking compared to how it used to be.

I don't remember anyone in primary school refusing to do what teachers asked, nobody had to wear ear defenders and got overwhelmed at loud music, nobody had tantrums and told adults to 'get away from them', nobody only ate plain pasta, nobody had to bring cuddly toys to school, nobody had a meltdown when they were out of a game, nobody tried to strangle the other children on a daily basis, nobody emailed the teacher when their child wasn''t picked for an award, nobody had to be dragged through the school gate screaming every morning, nobody had to come in early to avoid lining up, the school doors weren't locked yet nobody did a runner, nobody wore nappies in reception class, nobody had to be taken out of class to have a sensory break, nobody got in their red zone, nobody turned chairs over, nobody hid under a table, nobody needed a fidget toy to sit through assembly, nobody tied your shoe laces, everybody could tie shoe laces and do buckles, everybody went on school residential, everybody respected the teacher,

What changed?

The world has changed, children have changed, school has changed,

There needs to be a serious study into the causes of behaviour differences and what needs to change to help. Schools can't adapt for every child because a good majority learn and behave well, It's a minority.But I don't believe children's brains have changed in one generation. The cause has to be external.

Irrelevant.

I think the point is there is little to no resources for parents with children with severe and family life affecting behaviour problems of children .

And some children who do not cope well with a regimented educational system.

the answer to that surely to goodness is so very not to drug them.

Astounding ignorance.

I assume you don’t have adhd, as you seem remarkably ill informed about the condition. You seem to be very badly informed on how devastating this can be in people’s lives? You realise adhd is tied to a 5 fold increase in suicide? I suggest that golf you have no personal experience of having adhd you’re not in a position to make such remarks. Where are your qualifications around adhd?

Agree. The whole of society’s institutions are like this. Workplaces as well as schools. Whatever we think about ADHD, it’s hardly surprising that many brains just don’t thrive in the conditions imposed upon them, which means the system is rigged to reward and advantage those who do. If more people being diagnosed as neurodivergent means schools and workplaces having to create more flexible, diverse environments, then I think that’s a very good thing.

Well no, if you’re just talking about kids who just have behaviour issues but then you’re no longer talking about adhd. Do you know what adhd is?

I think over the coming years there will be a greater understanding of C-PTSD and some people will realise they have been misdiagnosed with ADHD as they present so similarly.
Was this mentioned in the doc? I don’t want to watch it as I find all the stigma around ADHD really hard.

My children are 20 and 17 and I don’t recall much of this when they were at primary school which my youngest left 6 years ago. Is this those who were very young during Covid coming through the system?

adhduk.co.uk/challenging-c4-the-great-adhd-myth/

@Nn9011 , how is it a money grab? I have recorded it and haven’t watched it yet by the way.

I suggest you educate yourself about the comorbities experienced by people with adhd

differences in brain structure is well established creyos.com/blog/adhd-brain-scan

You won't see a common, shared across diagnosed people, different brain structure on the types of brain scan we get for most common medical conditions but you will see differences in brain activity under trial conditions. Brain activity is linked with various bodily systems, not a simple structure of the brain. Here's some serious scientific research on ADHD that would be conveniently inaccessible to a viewer drawn in to watching a programme fronted by a journalist who only last week saw fit to speculate on Jason Arday in the Daily Mail. https://www.life-science-alliance.org/content/8/5/e202403029 Unravelling ADHD: genes, co-occurring traits, and developmental dynamics

No, nothing to do with covid. We can't keep blaming covid for everything. Having a few weeks off school doesn't make children have bad behaviour 6 years later. These are children that hadn't even started school during Covid.

As an SEMH teacher in a special school, I would be very willing to bet, that after spending half an hour in my classroom, where practically all my students have ADHD, it will no longer be a myth!
It is not a case of poor behaviour, it is a complete inability to focus on anything which is not interesting or engaging to the person, I also see a lot of children being very drawn to chaos - which will clearly get them into trouble!
ADHD is essentially a difference in how dopamine receptors are activated within the brain. The anatomy of the brain of an ADHD subject will show very little difference to a neurotypical brain.
I also found it interesting that a psychiatrist would take 1 dose of medication and decide it doesn't work, I hope he advises his patients with anxiety or depression to persevere more, anyone who has ADHD medication knows that there is a long titration period.
It also is an incredibly heritable condition. I read that a parent with ADHD has a 70-83% chance of passing it on to a child. Not to do with ACEs, which change the structure of a developing brain and can cause similar symptoms.

I have been diagnosed with ADHD

I regretted that this programme focused on a child, because it brought in educational issues - concentration on work, getting good grades etc - which, although important, just muddied the waters as far as the central question of "Does ADHD actually exist?" is concerned.
I also thought the person who described ADHD medication as a "cosh" was bang out of order. That phrase is associated with heavy sedation, usually of psychotic patients in asylums. The whole point of a cosh is to knock someone out. Totally OTT, emotional word to use in this context.
I think the basic question as to whether ADHD is a genuine neurological condition or a social construct should of course be asked, but chucking in stuff about that kid's school grades just didn't help get clarity on the fundamental issue. It was, at times, close to an assertion that Big Pharma is inventing conditions to match with drugs it's developed. I'm not saying that's not happening or never has happened, just that you need a lot more evidence than this programme supplied to stand up such a claim.

Most DC love being in nature and sprinting round hooting for hours. Do more of it, fine. Fewer screens, go ahead.

But they’ve got to be educated as well. And learn to behave. Alternatives to schooling and socialising don’t exist.

So either you teach them
coping strategies - which can’t be the school’s job - or you dope them. At least the pills get them GCSEs.

@ILikeTrains both my boys are on meds, both were 16 when diagnosed and are much more regulated and able to manage college/ jobs

I agree with you about the potential overdiagnosis, but i think there are generally genuine cases of course, especially when they've been thoroughly assessed and diagnosed clinically. I think a lot more awareness of these conditions has lead to some people thinking it is a lifestyle or "fashionable" diagnosis to have.

I've got a neurological involuntary movement disorder called tardive dyskinesia that was caused by an off label antipsychotic after a head injury and post concussion syndrome a decade ago, and I always try to find a way to remember what Michael J Fox said - he advised those with chronic illness and conditions not to let themselves be defined by them. I think in many ways, this can apply to things like neurodiversity too.