Panorama changed their title between announcing and broadcasting. They reacted to complaints and concerns and acknowledged they were wrong, but they should have gone further. They should have responded by re-editing it. Instead, they ignored the facts they’d been given and have caused real damage to people with ADHD.

I believe that it will completely undermine my very real diagnosis. ADHD has impacted my entire life and the NHS is simply not funded well enough to deal with diagnosing mental health conditions. For over 10 years I was told by GPs that yes, I very likely did have ADHD but there was no point in getting a diagnosis as the waiting lists were years long and I didn’t know for certain if I wanted to be medicated. Instead I spent over a decade being treated for anxiety when that wasn’t what I was suffering with at all. Now all these years later, I have finally been able to afford to pay for a private, professional diagnosis by a reputable psychiatrist who sits on NHS boards. This misrepresentation of the process with it’s sweeping generalisations undermines that. I will now face the stigma of having my diagnosis dismissed by people who will be led to believe that I paid for a guaranteed result.

It’s stigmatised adhd. As someone who is newly diagnosed, it was worrying telling people anyway. It’s now been made worse. My diagnosis was only 3 days ago and I am scared, even though I was seen by the nhs.

My daughter (14) had a very thorough private assessment resulting in a diagnosis but I am worried that if we wish to use the assessment in the future to gain additional educational support or medication the diagnosis will be questioned because it was done privately

Even more people are likely to tell me that I’m simply lazy and disorganised because I don’t really have ADHD.

A friend has already suggested that my ADHD diagnosis from the NHS might be incorrect. I’m concerned that this is going to happen more often, and that my university or employers might also start doubting my diagnosis.

I got my private diagnosis a week ago and was about to start telling people but I don’t think i will now because I don’t think they will believe me, because they will doubt my diagnosis is reliable.

It allows others to dismiss my diagnosis because a lot of my struggles are internal and I’ve masked all my life. Just when I was starting to feel more able to be my true self, even if only in my corner, my now feel I have to mask again. This is untold damage to those who are already vulnerable and have likely been through a lot already such as depression (inc. suicidal thoughts) as I have….when the reason for that was unmanaged adhd

The programme was triggering – having being diagnosed as an adult after suicidal ideation and major depressive disorder in my 40s, the world needs to sit up and understand that ADHD is a real struggle – and sometimes a fatal one. This is not about simply losing your keys and getting a label – a diagnosis is life-saving for some people

As someone who had no choice to turn to the private sector for an ADHD assessment, I anticipate that this documentary will contribute to a bias I have already encountered during the course of my life. When seeking an assessment my local NHS trust informed me that despite a screening assessment indicating that a full assessment would be in my interest, they were unable to refer me for an assessment unless I was an existing secondary-care patient or was actively suicidal. It took me a further three years to raise the money for the assessment I went on to have.

The bias in question states that private sector diagnosis for neurodivergent conditions is a “pay for a diagnosis” system. As someone with an ADHD diagnosis from the private sector I am concerned that the legitimacy of my diagnosis will be seen as dubious by some people.

As a counseling psychologist with many years of work behind me in the mental health treatment sector, I have heard examples of GPs refusing to prescribe medication for the treatment of ADHD symptoms to presenting patients with private assessments and diagnoses.

As a practicing therapist with clients who have ADHD diagnoses and others who strongly suspect that they would meet the diagnostic criteria for ADHD, I am very conscious of how common shame and doubt is as part of the ADHD experience in British society. I know this from my own experience as well. ADHD has become a topic of controversy and its legitimacy as a condition that can even be said to exist is often questioned in contemporary discourse. This documentary has only contributed to the view of ADHD being lacking in legitimacy since it presents the idea that the source of assessment and diagnosis that thousands of people have left open to them is itself illegitimate.

ADHD has majorly affected me my whole life, physically, mentally with money, school, work, relationships, literally every part of my life for 38 years. I tried to speak to a dr when I was 20 but was unable to advocate for myself and both he and I didn’t have the ADHD knowledge that I do now. Finding out about ADHD, and then gaining private diagnosis and treatment, was a life line that has been positively changing my life since. Unfortunately one of the difficult aspects of knowing you have ADHD is that not many people really understand it, so it can be hard to talk about with people and I tend not to. I feel this episode with it’s unbalanced view and poor scientific method will only further misinform and mischaracterise our community as people trying to somehow pay for a disability diagnosis. I am also about to ask for a shared care and terrified of approaching my GP. Will they have watched this episode, do they know that my Psychiatrist is an NHS one just working extra or do they think they are all the same. I imagine this will affect many people’s ability to get the care they need including myself. I feel like this show has given me PTSD. It feels like a death or breakup. 38 years of trauma living undiagnosed, to be given a life line, only for the BBC to take it way in a 30 min episode! How can I get the help I need at work if everyone just thinks I have a fake diagnosis. Anyway, I think I need to go mourn for a bit. Happy mental health week BBC.