BBC Report: Private UK Clinics Misdiagnosing ADHD

Improve the News Foundation -

Facts

  • According to a report released on Monday, patients in at least three private clinics in the UK are being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and prescribed powerful drugs based on unreliable online assessments.1
  • An undercover BBC investigative reporter, Rory Carson, was allegedly diagnosed with ADHD via video calls despite an in-person NHS evaluation showing he did not have the condition.2
  • After Carson reportedly interviewed dozens of patients and whistle-blowers, he found that Harley Psychiatrists, ADHD Direct, and ADHD 360 provided limited assessments of ADHD and were prescribing medicines without seriously considering the patient’s health and potential side effects.1
  • The BBC report also claimed that the NHS is paying for thousands of private ADHD assessments to help lower waiting lists, but added that these clinics would reportedly threaten anyone posting negative reviews about their services with legal action.3
  • Commenting on the report, NHS consultant psychiatrist Dr. Mike Smith said many patients could have received “an incorrect diagnosis and been started on medications inappropriately.” However, the three clinics have maintained that the claims are "untrue and unsubstantiated."4
  • The NHS defines ADHD as a condition that affects people’s behavior and presents itself as restlessness, difficulty concentrating, and impulsive decision-making. It is recognized as a disability under the 2010 Equality Act and can be treated with stimulant prescriptions.4

Sources: 1BBC News, 2Huffington Post, 3Movies, and 4Daily Mail.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by The Telegraph. The BBC’s undercover investigation shows how private ADHD clinics fail patients by overdiagnosing people and prescribing powerful medications without careful consideration. These institutions are not providing adequate assessments to determine if a patient has ADHD; instead they are resorting to medicating people inappropriately. ADHD is a serious condition for those who have it; it is not merely characterized by some fidgety behavior and minor lapses of concentration.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Stylist. The BBC is demonizing vital private clinics that have helped many patients with ADHD navigate their lives. Not only does the BBC depict the condition in a stigmatized manner, but it also feeds into stereotypes about how it is diagnosed. There is a prevailing and widely false narrative that ADHD isn’t real or that it is just excess energy from childhood that adults will outgrow. This narrative must be challenged, otherwise those suffering from the condition risk going undiagnosed and untreated.