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'I was diagnosed with ADHD at 57 - Channel 4's documentary is fear-mongering'

The Mirror's Clive Andrews was 57 when he was diagnosed with ADHD. He says Channel 4's documentary The Great ADHD Myth? will discourage people who are struggling from seeking help

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Clive Andrews, Mirror Chief Sub-Editor

20:20, 18 Aug 2026Updated 08:19, 19 Aug 2026

[The Mirror's Clive Andrews was 57 when he was diagnosed with ADHD]

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The Mirror's Clive Andrews was 57 when he was diagnosed with ADHD

Around a year ago I became one of the growing number of adults diagnosed with ADHD - at the grand old age of 57.

It has been an incredible revelation, largely because I have learnt that my decades of daily struggles were caused by a neurological condition and not, as I had been convinced all my life, entirely my fault.

But according to this Channel 4 documentary, Im just an idiot who has fallen for a trendy social construct.

The title alone made me fear the worst. Framing ADHD as a myth from the outset suggests the documentary-makers were hellbent on concluding it has either been massively over-diagnosed or doesnt exist at all.

[Dr. Sami Timmi: Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist in The Great ADHD Myth]

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Dr. Sami Timmi: Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist in The Great ADHD Myth(Image: Minnow Productions)

This would explain why there is not a single dissenting voice to counter the narrative that the rise in ADHD is down to things like mums giving their kids too much screen time or ruthless private practitioners seeking out diagnoses to boost their profits.

A panel of experts lob in inflammatory statements throughout medication is compared to cocaine, taking a break from tablets is described as cold turkey and one contributor reasons that they are worse for kids than corporal punishment.

Youd think that among this torrent of negativity they could have included just one person who shares the view of the NHS and the vast majority of health professionals that ADHD is a genuine neurobiological medical condition.

[NHS psychiatrist Dr Max Pemberton in Channel 4's documentaryThe Great ADHD Myth?]

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NHS psychiatrist Dr Max Pemberton in Channel 4's documentaryThe Great ADHD Myth?(Image: Minnow Productions)

It is particularly disappointing that a channel once known for championing underdogs has decided to punch down in this way. This documentary props up every right-wing Facebook warriors opinion that neurodiversity is nothing more than an attention-seeking pose, a benefits scam or a line feckless mums trot out to excuse their kids bad behaviour.

It follows presenter Dr Max Pemberton an NHS psychiatrist on a dogged mission to prove his own opinions to be absolutely correct in every way.

At one point he gets himself diagnosed with ADHD, despite not having it. When he tries the medication, he predictably finds it has slowed down his brain and turned him into a timid shadow of his former self. He never once addresses the fact that taking a drug for a condition he doesnt have would obviously have an adverse effect, which is surprising for a doctor. Im sure if I took diabetes medication without having diabetes Id feel pretty lousy too.

Anyway, for balance, Im on more than twice the dose Dr Pemberton tried and the benefits have been so immense that I now wouldn't willingly attempt a day without it. But sadly, it seems that no one with a positive experience of ADHD meds was asked to contribute.

The main focus of the documentary is the idea that an entire generation of children are being needlessly drugged. As someone who has given my kids medication, I know that it is the absolute last resort for families on their knees with the stress of trying to settle a traumatised child into school while spending months, often years, battling a care system that is hopelessly broken.

These people really dont need a carefully selected band of medics who all share a particular viewpoint to collectively ask them the questions they have already asked themselves a million times.

But with the help of a young mum whose son has ADHD, the documentary actually winds its way to a question that really does need asking.

Are we giving children medication to survive an education system that is not fit for purpose instead of changing the system to allow them to flourish? This chimes exactly with Andy Burnhams desire to shift the emphasis of education away from the purely academic to include technical qualifications. And its a point that lands very powerfully with me.

My son has ADHD. Despite taking medication, he found the classroom environment intolerable and fell out of mainstream education when he was 12. After a long period of absence, we managed to get him into a provision that has worked wonders by focusing on outdoor learning and physical exercise and tailoring lessons to the students interests to put them on a pathway to employment.

If this question had been asked at the start of the documentary and then experts with a range of opinions were allowed to contribute, it could have been essential viewing. Unfortunately, it arrives right at the end after 45 minutes of sensationalist fear-mongering.

The stigma surrounding mental health still stops too many people from seeking the help they desperately need. There is a growing tide of opinion that ADHD in particular should be viewed with suspicion.

Whatever its intentions were, all the The Great ADHD Myth? will achieve is to increase that stigma and discourage people who are genuinely struggling from getting support.

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