Trouble Staying Still: ADHD's Identity Crisis

Available for over a year

ADHD has been drawn into the media spotlight many times over the past 75 years since it was first described as Hyperkinetic Impulse Disorder. Treatment with the amphetamine Ritalin has added to the controversy with confusion that it, counterintuitively, 'calms kids down'. The condition has taken on many identities over its lifetime, having been renamed several times, each new term reflecting something different about how the disorder was then understood by science. The argument over whether ADHD even exists remains as strong today as it was 75 years ago, with the condition sometimes being associated with 'wokeness'. Yet the waiting list for an assessment is at an all time high, with girls, adults and older people waiting, often years, along with ‘naughty’ boys who were originally thought to be the only ones who suffered from the condition. In Trouble Staying Still, Professor Sally Marlow, explores the archive to reveal the changing faces of ADHD, and asks why it still grabs the headlines and why there are so many contradictions surrounding it. And what impact has the media and, more recently, social media had? Sally looks at the rise of podcasts and celebrity diagnoses. She also tracks the developments in neuroscience which does reveal differences in the brains of people with ADHD. Sally is also curious about whether she could have the condition and considers getting tested. Presenter: Professor Sally Marlow Producers: Beth Eastwood and Geraldine Fitzgerald Reseacher: Kanak Gupta Production Co-Ordinator: Elisabeth Tuohy Sound Engineer: Richard Courtice Executive Producer; Rami Tzabar A TellTale production for BBC Radio 4 Details of organisations offering information and support with ADHD are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline