Channel 4 has faced criticism from charity ADHD UK following the broadcast of a documentary that reviewers have called “the most controversial show of the year”.
The programme, titled The Great ADHD Myth?, aired on Tuesday evening and was hosted by psychiatrist and author Max Pemberton, who is an NHS psychiatrist.
Documentary questions ADHD as a medical condition
The episode opened with videos of social media users discussing the condition, with Pemberton reading lists of celebrities who have ADHD. Pemberton then argues: “But the current understanding of ADHD – that it’s a neurodevelopmental disorder, meaning that people’s brains are wired differently – is not supported by the evidence, according to some of the most respected experts in the field.”
Throughout the one-off documentary, the experts featured argue that ADHD is “certainly not a medical condition” and that there is no difference between “ADHD brains” and “normal” brains. “If you want the diagnosis, you will be able to get it,” one argues.
Charity calls for Ofcom complaints
Following the episode, ADHD UK – which had previously released an open letter to Channel 4 questioning the documentary’s content and arguing that the question mark in the title was “not a get-out-of-harm-free card” – issued a damning response. “We watched. We said we’d be fair,” the charity wrote. “Here is our verdict. ADHD is not a myth. It is not a social construct… We have already complained to Ofcom. A fuller submission follows, built on the impact data you give us below.”
ADHD UK then encouraged its supporters to file a complaint to Ofcom, writing: “We deserve better than this.”
NHS definition and programme description
The NHS describes ADHD as “a condition where the brain works differently to most people”, which can lead to high energy levels or problems with concentration. The documentary, first announced last month, challenges these definitions, with its description reading: “Is [ADHD] really a neurodevelopmental disorder? Has modern life contributed to rising diagnoses? And for kids, is medicating the answer?”
In a review for The Guardian, critic Lucy Mangan said that The Great ADHD Myth? will “incense and offend some of its viewers, and its scepticism regarding ADHD is clear from the outset”. ADHD UK’s chief executive Henry Shelford told The Mirror that the programme was “sensationalist nonsense”, adding: “I wish Channel 4 had done what they did for the menopause with Davina McCall, or for dyslexia with Jamie Oliver.” The Standard has contacted Channel 4 for comment.
