In a new Channel 4 documentary, The Great ADHD Myth?, psychiatrist Max Pemberton investigates whether ADHD is a genuine neurodevelopmental disorder or a social construct. Jessica Lindsay, who has lived with ADHD for five years since her diagnosis, responds to the film's claims, arguing that such questioning can cause real harm.
Documentary's approach questioned
Lindsay notes that Pemberton has previously suggested ADHD could be a 'wildly overdiagnosed' 'fad'. Despite the show's claim to take a 'science-led approach', it appeared to use carefully chosen sceptics and cherry-picked evidence, similar to other investigations into the 'rise' of neurodiversity. One expert called ADHD medication 'slow-release cocaine', a claim Lindsay refutes from personal experience, while others compared it to corporal punishment or chemical castration.
The documentary merged provocative statements with elements of truth, linking its thesis to concerns about big pharma, ultra-processed foods, and smartphone addiction. Lindsay, however, trusts the classifications of the World Health Organization, the NHS, and NICE, which recognise ADHD as a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder.
The experiment with Mason
The show featured an experiment with 10-year-old Mason, who has ADHD. He was taken off his medication for four weeks, replacing it with daily yoga, woodland walks, diet changes, and screen time limits. During the trial, he was described as 'more fun' and 'a proper character'. His teacher reported he struggled to concentrate and regulate emotions, and was 'easier to teach' while medicated, but this was labelled an 'educational issue'. At the end, Mason's mum Shauna decided to keep him off the drugs to avoid 'dulling his sparkle', but the credits revealed he resumed medication after poor exam results.
Pemberton called this experiment, with a sample size of one, a source of 'profound philosophical and moral questions' about neurodiversity. Lindsay sees it as a clear example of real-world harms from questioning the condition's existence.
Expert opinions and reality
Ex-GP Iona Heath said on the show she would 'ban the label ADHD, straight off' and stop medicating this group, instead overhauling education to include more creative and sporting activities. She suggested this would reveal an 'untapped reservoir of talent' currently being 'drugging out of existence'. Lindsay counters that until such a utopia exists, children like Mason must follow a set curriculum with 30-odd classmates to gain qualifications, and adults with ADHD must sit at desks for eight hours to earn a living.
Lindsay agrees with some points about modernity and diagnoses, believing neurodivergent traits could be assets in different settings. She acknowledges that instant gratification, sugar, and doomscrolling may worsen symptoms, but notes that modern life relies on phones for taxes, communication, and work in built-up areas.
Medication as a practical solution
For those with ADHD, medication is the most accessible way to conform in a productivity-driven world. Lindsay fears the 'dystopian' label Pemberton applies to medicating children, pointing to research showing a seven to nine-year lower life expectancy for those with diagnosed ADHD, plus higher risks of substance abuse, unemployment, and suicide. She concludes that arguing semantics or demonising life-changing medication would be the biggest myth of all.
