Last Night's 'Documentary' Could Genuinely Lead to a Loss of Life
NOTE: My account name is a throw away made a long time ago, I'm not actually a doctor.
I think it goes without saying that the vast majority of people in this community have a nuanced view of medication, diagnosis, classification and so on. I'm sure everyone here thinks that debate is warranted in relation to some of those things. For example a widespread belief I see from many people is that perhaps one day we'll do away with the name altogether in favour of several sub-sets. The point is that none of this is set in stone and openness to discussion is paramount to progress and widespread acceptance.
Importantly though, debate and discussion shouldn't just be balanced and scientific, it needs to be treated delicately and with an extreme level of care. Because the reality is that getting it wrong, can and will lead to severe real world harm.
People with ADHD are 5 times more likely to attempt to take their own lives than the general population. Now, as many people in this sub will understand, before diagnosis you can feel lost, misunderstood, depressed, anxious, experience ideation ... the list goes on. For a long time I blamed myself, I considered that I might have ADHD but equally I wondered if I'd been sucked into a 'social contagion' and made the whole thing up. Was I just lazy and looking for an excuse?!
Then I started meds and my entire life changed. My mood was suddenly generally positive, I wasn't needlessly anxious anymore, my life was suddenly heading in the right direction for the first time.
However, had I seen that 'documentary' last night before seeking assessment, I might not have gone through with it and I might not be here now. That isn't sensationalism, that's the reality of neurodivergence for millions of people in this country.
It's not hyperbole or an exaggeration to say that some people will see the marketing, title and content of that 'documentary' and in turn not seek help, will stop their meds or will be plunged back into the cycle of shame and as a result - directly or indirectly, may take their own lives.
The programme wasn't just unscientific, biased or offensive, it was potentially deadly.
Further to that, it's ammunition for political parties to further discredit ADHD and at some point potentially withdraw funding for medication on the NHS on mass. Which in turn, would definitely lead to a measurable loss of life.
I've always been a great admirer of Channel 4 but I'm disappointed beyond words. Their response in which they've defended the right to a 'debate' around ADHD, ignores the seriousness of getting it wrong and the damage it has already done. How did this get passed their legal and ethical safeguards? How did no one even think to (at the very least) put hotline numbers at the end?
I've never considered complaining to OFCOM about anything before, usually I think 'no one's forcing you to watch it!'. But in this instance, a TV programme has made my life harder, potentially less safe and could lead others towards genuine harm. It sounds extreme, but the commissioners at Channel 4 in one way or another, might just have blood on their hands.
If you haven't sent a complaint yourself yet, I implore you to consider it.