The truth about ADHD myths

Over the last few years, ADHD has become a topic of fierce debate.

Last night, Channel 4 aired a documentary called The Great ADHD Myth?, which seeks to ascertain whether ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder or a social construct.

Essentially, is ADHD a real, diagnosable condition — or made up?

I was diagnosed with it in 2021. For me, posing such a question undermines an entire group of people, and generates yet another frustrating — and pointless — discussion.

ADHD

Given that questions regarding ADHD will now be raised once more, it’s time to take a step back from the heat, and look at some of the commonly held beliefs about the condition, to separate fact from fiction.

‘ADHD is scientifically controversial’

It adds: ‘ADHD is not scientifically controversial.

‘It is recognised by the World Health Organisation, the NHS, NICE, and every major medical body on Earth.’

This is partly down to higher rates of suicide among people with ADHD: one 2019 study found ADHDers are around five times more likely to take their own lives than the general population.

Another 2025 study from the University of Cambridge finds people with ADHD also experience higher rates of other physical and mental health conditions, and are more prone to substance abuse.

‘ADHD is not a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder’

False.

In the past, psychiatrists believed ADHD only impacted children, and anyone diagnosed with it would grow out of it.

Now, we know this isn’t true.

The NHS agrees ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder, which is defined by the American Psychiatric Association as conditions which affect the ‘development and function of the brain.’

Autism is also a neurodevelopmental condition, as is Tourette’s.

Dr Claudia Aymerich, consultant psychiatrist at Berkeley, tells Metro: ‘Evidence shows a genetic and neurobiological basis for ADHD, especially concerning brain mechanisms responsible for attention, executive function and impulse control.’

One 2017 study concluded that some children experiencing symptoms during childhood have ‘abnormalities’ in their brain structure. Up to 83% of children then went on to be diagnosed with ADHD.

Plus, various studies on neuroimaging, which involves scanning the brain to determine both structure and function, have revealed structural differences in the ADHD brain in adulthood, too.

These include a smaller prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for planning and decision-making.

‘ADHD is caused by environmental factors’

False.

ADHD is not caused by environmental factors, but they can worsen symptoms.

Hester Grainger, a neurodiversity consultant and ADHD coach, explains: ‘Things like ultra-processed food and too much screen time can affect how we feel and function.

‘Sometimes ADHD traits can feel harder to manage because of them, but they don’t cause ADHD.

‘I grew up in the 1970s without a smartphone, and I still have ADHD.’

‘Everyone has ADHD now’

False.

This is an argument we’ve seen time and time again, and it’s often a response to the surge in diagnoses over the past few years.

In 2023, a study from UCL found that the number of people being diagnosed with ADHD has increased over the last 20 years, but this doesn’t mean ‘everyone’ has it now.

Between 2000 and 2018, there was a twenty-fold increase in ADHD diagnoses, rising to an almost fifty-fold increase in prescriptions issued to men aged 18-29.

There might’ve been an increase in people seeking help for ADHD in recent years, but that doesn’t mean that the condition is becoming more common. The diagnoses are becoming more common, not the condition.

It still only impacts between 2% and 6% of the world’s population.

‘Anyone who really wants to obtain an ADHD diagnosis can’

As part of the Channel 4 documentary, Dr Max Pemberton pays £1,200 to see if he can obtain an ADHD diagnosis, despite not believing he has it.

He’s eventually diagnosed with the condition, but to do so, he almost mimics the types of replies a neurodivergent person might give.

What his approach actually shows is that anyone who wants to obtain a diagnosis can, so long as they give a carefully curated set of answers, which, as an NHS psychiatrist, you’d expect Dr Pemberton to be able to do.

However, when an individual assesses someone for ADHD, they aren’t just listening to what you’re saying.

They’re also looking at patterns of speech, as well as body language and family history.

As psychologist and clinical director Dr Andrea Pickering previously told Metro, various symptoms of ADHD, such as being distractible or fidgety, might seem relatable to the general non-neurodivergent public.

‘The key difference is that for someone with ADHD, these symptoms are persistent, pervasive and significantly impact their ability to function in daily life, across multiple settings such as work, school and relationships,’ Dr Andrea, from Clinical Partners, explains.

‘Only hyperactive boys have ADHD’

False.

The classic image of ADHD is that of a restless schoolboy, and this trope is only furthered by the Channel 4 documentary, which follows a 10-year-old boy who is very outwardly hyperactive.

But it’s inaccurate to suggest only men and boys live with it.

Medical misogyny means the condition is vastly underresearched in women and girls, who tend to be more internally hyperactive.

Hester, who is also the co-founder of Perfectly Autistic, says: ‘People, including women, can be diagnosed with combined ADHD, which includes hyperactivity but they can be internally hyperactive. So you can’t see it externally, but inside their brain it’s non-stop.’

‘ADHD is a new condition and no one used to have it’

False.

As there’s been an uptick in diagnoses over the past few years, so too have the suggestions that ADHD is a modern phenomenon.

But in reality, it given proper terminology in 1968 (it was called hyperkinetic reaction of childhood).

The very first descriptors were seen as early as the 1700s, when a German physician published a book describing ADHD-like behaviours, using words like inattentive.

Now, our ancestors spent much more time in nature, while these days, many of us need to work a 9-5, and spend much of our day on screens.

Modern life has perhaps made living with ADHD more apparent, but unfortunately, capitalism means there isn’t much of an alternative.

For many of us, taking ADHD medication is a means of survival; the way we conduct our jobs efficiently. We need it to pay our bills, to get through the day. Perhaps if we had a simpler way of living, it’d be different.

Hester reminds us: ‘People had ADHD long before we had the language, awareness, or diagnostic criteria we have today.