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Channel 4\u2019s new documentary, The Great ADHD Myth, has left viewers bitterly divided with its \u2018controversial\u2019 content.<\/p>\n
The episode centres on full-time NHS Psychiatrist, Dr Max Pemberton, who is on a quest to find out if we \u2018should really be giving children mind-altering drugs to treat\u2019 the condition.<\/p>\n
According to NHS data, as of May 2025, an estimated 2,498,000 people in England had ADHD (including those without a diagnosis) and, of those, 741,000\u00a0are children and young people aged five to 24.<\/p>\n
His investigation includes meeting with several medical experts \u2018who are questioning\u2019 the conventional narrative around ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), including consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr Sami Timimi and\u00a0Prof Katya Rubia.<\/p>\n
Elsewhere in the episode, he looks at the problems children are currently facing in their environment and speaks to young people diagnosed with the disorder. All boiling down to the question: is ADHD a \u2018social construct?\u2019<\/p>\n
At one point, he meets with a child, Mason, who comes off the medication and whose mother, Shauna, says he is \u2018funnier, happier, more of a character, more himself\u2019, despite more behavioural issues. In a note at the end, it is confirmed Mason is back on medication.<\/p>\n
\u2018As a psychiatrist, I\u2019ve watched ADHD go from a diagnosis that was only occasionally made and after careful assessment, to one that is increasingly demanded and dispensed, and I wanted to understand why,\u2019 Dr Pemberton told Channel 4.<\/p>\n
During one stunt in the doc, he pays \u00a31,200 for a single online assessment and is diagnosed with \u201ccombined\u201d ADHD\u00a0and provided with medication \u2013 despite insisting he doesn\u2019t have it.<\/p>\n
The 60-minute documentary \u2013 which explores how diet and lifestyle changes could help those with ADHD, beyond medication \u2013 has already proved to be contentious as it\u2019s hailed \u2018thought-provoking\u2019 by some and \u2018shameful\u2019 by others.<\/p>\n
The Guardian\u2019s four-star review dubbed it \u2018the most controversial show of the year\u2019.<\/p>\n
The review continued: \u2018We live in a time when to question any prevailing orthodoxy will, in many cases, be met with an emotional outpouring. Casting any form of doubt on ADHD will absolutely not be the exception. But Pemberton answers his questions convincingly.\u2019<\/p>\n
NHS describes ADHD as \u2018a\u00a0condition that affects people\u2019s behaviour. People with ADHD can seem restless, may have trouble concentrating, and may act on impulse.\u2019<\/p>\n
Is it often diagnosed in childhood, but in some cases isn\u2019t recognised until adulthood.<\/p>\n
\u2018Research has also identified a number of possible differences in the brains of people with ADHD when compared with those without the condition.<\/p>\n