Do you have ADHD? A Channel 4 documentary myth busts the signs and symptoms

Everybody loses their keys sometimes, everyone can forget things, everyone occasionally fidgets, but does this mean you have ADHD? An eye-opening documentary airing on Channel 4 tonight, Do You Have ADHD?, aims to help viewers work out if they should get a diagnosis.

It seems that everyone is talking about ADHD these days - celebrities from Rob Beckett to Johnny Vegas are opening up about having it and over 200,000 Brits are on a waiting list for a diagnosis. An estimated 2.6 million people in the UK have it, and no doubt many more who just haven’t been diagnosed.

Do You Have ADHD? aims to look at the symptoms, including inattentiveness, hyperactivity, impulsivity and time blindness, telling viewers what to do if they think they or their child has it. The show is fronted by Dr Karan Rajan and Dr Clare Bailey Mosley (wife of the late Michael Mosley), who even puts herself through a gruelling four-hour ADHD assessment because she has noticed she has some traits.

The medical experts also explore the complexities of having ADHD, separate fact from fiction on ADHD traits, and give creative advice for living with an ADHD brain.

First the documentary asks, what does it feel like to have ADHD? Alex says: “It is like having a Ferrari engine, but bicycle brakes.”

Milly says: “It feels like there’s always a swarm of bees in my brain that are always fighting each other for my attention.” Cole: “It’s like 20 televisions on at once and you can’t really tell what channel is on or what anyone is saying.”

Health educator Dr Karan says: “I’m fascinated by the huge explosion of interest surrounding the condition. Everyone is talking about it. It’s a hugely complex topic with a huge variety of symptoms, making diagnosis a minefield.”

He investigates the challenges faced by thousands of children and adults looking into a formal diagnosis, talking to experts in neurodiversity.

The programme advises on what to do if you’re looking for answers, starting with a symptom checklist that you can download online.

Questions include: “How often do you have trouble wrapping up the final details of a project?”, “How often to you have problems remembering appointments and obligations?” and “How often do you fidget or squirm with your hands or feet when you have to sit down for a long time?” If you check more than four in the grey boxes, you or your child may be eligible for an assessment and should ask your GP.

READ MORE: NHS doctor names 'three best' questions to ask GP if they ignore you

Meanwhile, former GP Dr Clare turns patient as she undergoes the assessment process to establish whether undiagnosed ADHD could be the cause of some of her own behaviour challenges. She says: “I would say I’m energetic. I think I just do fidget.

"I don’t relax. I think I just like to be active. “Certainly Michael was aware of my poor time keeping. I just think I have been living with it and comfortably but with the odd blip.”

However, after a four-hour deep dive, it becomes clear that without these traits impairing Clare’s life, she would not warrant a diagnosis or need treatment. She says: “It’s interesting hearing all these impairments, but I don’t feel particularly impaired by them, so it turns out that I don’t fit the criteria. It was a long process but really interesting.”

*Do You Have ADHD? airs tonight (August 5) on Channel 4 at 8pm

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