Why are media attacking ADHD? The big picture.

First they came for self-diagnosis, then they told us ADHD wasn’t real and now they come for private medical diagnosis. Thes question is why? This is the bigger picture.

The media is at it again, invalidating neurodivergence and making life more joyless by spreading misinformation and failing to cover the whole story.

Less than 2 months after publishing "The media thinks my ADHD diagnosis isn't real," Panorama has released a 30-minute 'expose' on ADHD clinics 'unreliably' diagnosing those paying for private care. The story was even discussed on BBC's 6 o'clock news in a surreal twist.

The Panorama episode has been covered extensively by others so I’ve left a summary at the end of this email of those critiques along with my thoughts.

What I want to talk about is why.

Why would a journalist want to cover ADHD repeatedly? Why would the BBC allow a biased, one-sided argument to be aired? Why do the media keep picking up on negative ADHD stories and running with them from people with little-to-no lived experience of ADHD? Why are people seeking help being demonised? Why is the government undercutting services? Why? Why? Why?

Two reasons, maintaining the status quo for:

1. wealth

2. power

To start, we must understand the media’s role in a capitalist society and acknowledge that mainstream media is not entirely independent; it is a tool used by The Establishment (those in political power, as well as heads of institutions and business). Media supports power and their ideologies through messaging that either manufactures consent for changes that benefit them or suppresses any changes that don’t - all to uphold the status quo that keeps them with power and wealth.

The status quo is protected through misinformation campaigns and it’s not a new tactic. Tobacco companies lied about the health risks of smoking. Oil and gas companies have knowingly been suppressing knowledge about climate change since the 1970s with greenwashing campaigns that distracted and confused people to the point that some believe companies like Shell and BP are doing their best to combat climate change. In contrast, others don’t believe in climate change at all - despite the evidence from independent scientists. This matters because those in power have had and still have financial interests vested in tobacco and big oil. At the same time, the media gains money from advertising placements from these industries. How is this connected to ADHD? ADHD is currently subjected to a misinformation campaign from multiple media and those in power have financial interests in private health companies. 

ADHD misinformation allows The Establishments to capitalise on the growing demand for private ADHD services, folding it into the ever increasing private health services they profit from. Misinformation is a way to discredit existing services, while new services are brought to the fore and given an ‘official’ status. The Panorama episode elevates NHS services while discrediting others, which is odd because the NHS is so underfunded it can’t deal with capacity - you’d think they would want to look at how they can work better with private assessors to provide sustaining care. By upholding the NHS as one of the only institutions that can accurately diagnose ADHD, it creates control over diagnosis, sets limits on it, and maintains the status quo.

This is a conjecture, but if the government were to take action on neurodevelopmental services, they wouldn’t inject funding into existing services. Action would come in the form of a newly-formed, private company (invested in by the elite) swooping in to ‘win’ a giant NHS contract to deliver nation-wide ADHD assessment services. This service would take over, while funding for existing NHS services shrinks until they cease to exist. The argument for this would be that a private contract provides a higher standard of care and consistency across the country.

Maintaining the status quo is about controlling the narrative by picking and choosing the discussed topics. Mainstream media rarely touches on the underfunding of NHS services, long wait times or the crisis points that lead people to private diagnosis because that would highlight neglect and push us towards equitable change. Unfortunately, only society profits from a well-funded NHS, not individuals at the top. Instead, the narrative pushed is the validity of diagnosis, in all its forms and frequencies.

To consistently control the narrative, the government works with mainstream media to deliver a culture war - a conflict between social groups and their values, beliefs, and practices. A culture war primarily serves to distract from power abuses, protect the status quo, and stifle progressive change that would disrupt said status quo. Trans rights, refugee rights, and labor rights have all been attacked. Why would disability rights be an exception? It isn’t, but they need tactical targets.

Many disabilities and chronic illnesses are too visible or too close to home for many people. But ADHD… ADHD is already frequently misunderstood, and paired with the increasing diagnosis rates, it is an easy target. Few other disabilities could be subject to misinformation campaigns in the form of media questioning its very existence, suggesting inadequate cures - like turning off your phone - and the validity of diagnosis.

The number of medically diagnosed and self-identifying neurodivergent people is increasing. As our numbers grow, so does the requirement for accommodations in business and adequate funding in health services - both disruptors to the status quo of stripping services back to the bare minimum and keeping workplaces as ‘productive’ and profit-driving as possible.

If ADHD is discredited, it doesn’t have to be accommodated, medicated or cared for - it can be written off and dismissed as laziness, as people who do not want to work or want attention. It is a narrative we should push back on. Still, we should also recognise - just like with protest rights and trans rights - the conversation has been forced away from the primary issues and into a narrative of moral arguments. The government can control and manipulate this, shifting the conversation away from the underfunding of the NHS and into the narrative of a cultural phenomenon and individual failings in the form of overdiagnosis, people misdiagnosing themselves on Tiktok and people spending too much time on their phones - among with many more other distracting arguments.

If there is some spark of joy in this very miserable attack on disability, it is this… The neurodivergent community is not so easily distracted. In every analysis of the panorama episode, people have always brought the conversation back to the heart of the systemic issue - the underfunding of the NHS.

As our numbers grow, so does our strength; in that strength, we have the power to force change. We’ve already seen ADHD and Autism funding being discussed in Parliament. How long until the next petition will be addressed? How long until we’re protesting for the right to services? How long until we stop asking for the necessary accommodations and just take them?

Those with private medical diagnosis took power into their own hands. This attack on ADHD is nothing more than a control tactic to take it away. Together, we all - whether self or medically diagnosed - have power in numbers. We can drive lasting change and the establishment is disrupting it through misinformation.

The Establishment are scared of what we can create - a more inclusive, diverse and equal world. As the culture war on disability develops, my prediction is that the louder we are about disability rights and justice, the more the government and media will work together to park us alongside climate activists, labour strikers and anti-monarch protestors, labelling us as extremists and disruptors of the status quo.

To that, I say, what amazing bed-fellows. Together we will change this country for the better.

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Critiques of the content shown by Panorama include:

• Using statements like 'health crisis' while failing to cover the extent of NHS underfunding, how it impacts essential diagnostic and support services, and the anguish of long waitlists (up to 7 years in some areas).

• Identifying the 'flood of people' seeking ADHD diagnosis while failing to explain the increase in awareness and the high number of missed and misdiagnosed groups contributing to increases in diagnosis.

• Identifying high diagnosis rates at private clinics but failing to acknowledge many people pay huge assessment costs (as well as continued costs for medication) due to desperation for help and support, as well as being sure of the outcome of their diagnosis. 

• Failing to cover the extent of pre-screening questionnaires that can be lengthy, require a lot of detail from both the person being referred and a close family member, as well as the request for copies of school reports.

• Noting being prescribed 'powerful stimulants', but not disclosing that therapy and non-stimulants would also have been offered.

• A failure to discuss the ethics of describing and exaggerating ADHD symptoms for private assessments versus providing disclosure of filming to the NHS. The kicker is that if you describe ADHD traits… obviously, you will get diagnosed.

• The ethics of the reporter taking up hours that could have been better spent on someone seeking genuine diagnosis and support.

This is not the first time Panorama has made a faux pas. They have been criticised on multiple stories in the past but, most shockingly, have already been condemned for inaccurate coverage of ADHD.

I have some thoughts. As a socialist, I want to see all healthcare under public control, so I view any private healthcare companies with a good dollop of skepticism. The truth is, I’ve thought for a while that all ADHD assessors (NHS included) need more regulation to standardise care.

If you speak to two medically diagnosed ADHDers, their experiences of assessment and follow-up will be different. We need standardised evaluations and follow-up care to create fairer testing that sees everyone receiving the same quality treatment and aftercare - whether through NHS, Right-to-Choose or a private company.

Assessments can range from £500 to over £1000, with follow-up appointments for medication prescriptions costing a couple of hundred pounds. If you need to adjust your meds, it costs money. If you need to change your meds, it costs money. If you want to discuss side effects, it costs money.

Even though someone could be paying to be seen, there are plenty of stories of people being ignored and invalidated regarding their medication. Don’t get me wrong, I‘ve heard this happens with NHS, too - it just doesn’t cost us money for every appointment. We need accessible care that doesn’t cost the end user.

The situation isn’t black and white. We’re sitting amid a grey area where it is both true the NHS is in such crisis that private companies are picking up the slack to offer essential services and care to people in desperate need AND those private companies are taking advantage of people with high costs while sometimes not providing the highest standard of care.