British ADHD charity hits back at Channel 4 documentary, saying condition 'is not a myth'
‘The Great ADHD Myth?’ aired by the broadcaster on Tuesday concluded that the condition is a 'social construct, not a disorder of the brain'
An ADHD charity says it has lodged a complaint with Ofcom after a Channel 4 documentary claimed the condition is a myth.
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‘The Great ADHD Myth?’ was aired on Tuesday and the conclusion reached by the host, NHS psychiatrist Dr Max Pemberton, was that it was a “social construct, not a disorder of the brain”.
Charity ADHD UK made a complaint about the documentary, saying: “ADHD is not a myth. It is not a social construct."
This comes as the diagnosis rate of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, is on the rise in the UK.
The programme was defended by broadcaster Channel 4, which said “there is considerable public debate on various aspects of ADHD" and that it "is legitimate for that debate to be explored and for conventional understandings to be challenged".
The documentary included experts who are ADHD-sceptics and who discussed the way it is treated.
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It also involved the journey of a 10-year-old boy who stopped taking his medication and instead made lifestyle changes to see how it affected his behaviour. The boy’s mother subsequently announced he would stay off the drugs for the foreseeable future.
At the end of the programme, a caption was shown explaining that the boy went back on his medication two months after filming and his performance at school improved – but that he hoped to come off them again in future.
ADHD UK said: "The programme's own end credits told you what its 60 minutes wouldn't: the boy at its centre went back on his medication, and his schoolwork improved.
"Their experiment disproved their conclusion. They aired their version anyway. We have already complained to Ofcom."
In a statement, Channel 4 said: "This documentary does not deny the lived experience of those diagnosed with ADHD, but does present the view of an extensive range of senior medical experts - many of whom work or have worked with the NHS or have held presidential roles at professional membership bodies - who seek to question the conventional understanding of ADHD and if it is a neurodevelopmental condition.
"They also ask whether modern living has contributed to a rise in diagnoses, and whether there may be better alternatives for some children than medication."
The broadcaster added that the documentary hoped to determine whether the rise in diagnosis and medication, especially among boys, could be attributed to societal factors.
Channel 4 said: "Whilst the film does not seek to provide answers from one family's experience, their experiences have opened up discussion around whether today's world is equipped to accommodate ADHD behaviours and the ethics of medicating these, particularly in children and particularly when the long-term effects remain unknown."