# Reality Check: the ADHD debate we’re not allowed to have

An episode of [Best of the Spectator](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/793236670), 26 Aug 2026, 15 min.

Audio: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68358fb5e1abc4be6b0308eb/e/6a8dd1838c90bb60119f7927/media.mp3?tk=eyJ0ayI6ImRlZmF1bHQiLCJhZHMiOnRydWUsInNwb25zIjp0cnVlLCJzdGF0dXMiOiJwdWJsaWMifQ==&sig=j57RDyoXwj6r_Ht5lZU6LAoKBkVw1TyJiAOFfty70Y4

The backlash to Channel 4’s The Great ADHD Myth has reignited a fierce debate over how we diagnose ADHD – and whether that debate itself is becoming impossible to have. Michael Simmons looks at the extraordinary rise in diagnoses, the gap between recorded cases and underlying prevalence, and asks whether we are increasingly medicalising normal variations in behaviour. Is Britain finally recognising a vast amount of unmet need – or has diagnosis begun to serve a social as well as a medical function? This episode is brought to you by Artemis Fund Managers, for more information on our fund range please click here https://www.artemisfunds.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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