Overview
- The Channel 4 programme The Great ADHD Myth?, presented by NHS psychiatrist Dr Max Pemberton and due to air on Tuesday 18 August, asks whether the surge in diagnoses reflects a distinct neurodevelopmental disorder or is driven by modern-life factors.
- Dr Pemberton says he paid £1,200 for a private online assessment and was diagnosed with combined-type ADHD while reporting that prescriptions have risen about 18% a year since the pandemic and that roughly 2.5 million people in England are estimated to have the condition.
- Experts in the film, including Professor Katya Rubia of King’s College London, tell Pemberton that brain-scan differences between people with and without ADHD are small and that no scan can reliably identify the condition, highlighting reliance on behavioural checklists for diagnosis.
- Local assessment services such as Sort Health and groups including ADHD UK have criticised the programme for its title and framing, saying it distracts from very long NHS waits for assessment — more than 735,000 people in England were waiting as of December 2025 — and could put people off seeking support.
- The documentary follows a 10-year-old who stopped lisdexamfetamine for six weeks and felt ‘happier’ at home but struggled more at school, a case that illustrates the trade-offs families face and could increase demand for private assessments if public services remain slow.