An ADHD charity, ADHD UK, led by Henry Shelford, has complained to Ofcom about Channel 4’s documentary The Great ADHD Myth?, broadcast on Tuesday and presented by NHS psychiatrist Dr Max Pemberton. The programme concluded that ADHD is “a social construct, not a disorder of the brain,” a stance ADHD UK strongly rejected, and the Royal College of Psychiatrists also warned against “invalidating the condition.” Criticism centred partly on the documentary’s own case study: a 10-year-old boy who came off his medication during filming, with an end caption revealing he later resumed it and his schoolwork improved, a detail ADHD UK said undercut the programme’s central argument.

Channel 4 defended the documentary, saying it reflects “considerable public debate” around ADHD and features senior medical experts questioning conventional understanding of the condition, including whether societal factors are driving rising diagnosis and medication rates. Reviews were mixed but notably positive in some outlets, with both The Guardian and The Times giving it four stars, while ADHD Embrace criticised the “quality of the journalism” and warned it could deepen public scepticism.

The piece also sets the debate in context: NHS estimates put ADHD prevalence in England at around 2.5 million people, diagnosis rates have risen sharply since 2000, and NHS assessment waiting lists are at record levels, with some studies suggesting the condition may actually be underdiagnosed rather than overdiagnosed.

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