Inside Our ADHD Minds: a welcome step but not enough

A personal response to the BBC's Inside Our ADHD Minds — and why we need to see the harder, messier stories too.

A sensitively crafted programme — but a partial picture

I had mixed feelings watching Inside Our ADHD Minds, the BBC’s new documentary following its autism series from 2023. Once again, Chris Packham leads with quiet assurance — calm, clear, and compassionate. It’s evident the programme means a great deal to him, and he has a gift for helping it mean something to others too.

The programme is a thoughtful, well-produced step forward in public awareness. At a time when parts of the media are keen to discredit or ridicule neurodiversity, it was refreshing to see the BBC — working with the Open University — offer something clear, accessible, and accurate.

It struck the right emotional tone for a general audience. The expert insights were relatable, the interviews sensitively edited, and the care taken in the final production was clear. The information landed — and it mattered.

Representation done quietly well

One moment stood out. Jo, diagnosed with ADHD at 49, now lives with her wife, Allie, and their young daughter. The BBC introduced them simply and naturally — no fanfare, no framing, just an everyday family. For those of us who grew up in the 70s and 80s, when gay lives were either erased or vilified, this quiet normalcy felt quietly radical. It meant a great deal to me — so thank you, BBC.

But even here, something was missing.

As someone who co-hosts a support group for LGBTQ+ adults with ADHD, I see firsthand how neurodivergence and identity intersect — in ways that are messy, painful, and hard to explain. Jo’s story was framed through the lens of “female ADHD,” and while this was important to challenge outdated assumptions about ADHD being a “boys’ condition,” the framing still felt limited.

In fact, over recent years, female activists have been at the forefront of reshaping public understanding of ADHD — through writing, podcasting, and advocacy. Search online and you’ll find the majority of ADHD content today is female-focused.

This shift deserves recognition. But so does nuance.

Both men and women can show both “typical” and “atypical” traits. There are plenty of quiet boys who stare out of windows, just as there are loud, impulsive girls. Rigid gender stereotypes around ADHD risk leaving many children — and adults — unseen, undiagnosed, and unsupported.

Important but unheard

I understand the BBC wanted to tackle an important myth. But the framing could have been more expansive. And it missed another important opportunity: to talk openly about sexuality, and what it’s like to grow up gay and neurodivergent in a heteronormative world.

The compounded effect of feeling “different” in multiple ways — all of them socially stigmatised — leaves many LGBTQ+ ADHDers with long histories of shame and self-doubt. These aren’t easy to untangle. But they can be. In the coaching work I do — and in the support group I run with Kathleen Helm — I’ve seen how transformative it can be when people finally find space to name and explore their full experience.

Who gets to be seen?

Despite its strengths, Inside Our ADHD Minds offered a somewhat airbrushed version of ADHD. Both Jo and Henry — the other main contributor — were clearly doing well materially: attractive homes, strong family support, private diagnoses. Henry’s central London flat and his family’s expansive garden looked more like scenes from Grand Designs than a documentary about a life-altering condition.

This isn’t a criticism of their success. But it is a question about whose stories are told — and why. The editorial choices seem designed to appeal to a mainstream, middle-class audience: families with traditional values, increasingly open to conversations about mental health — provided those stories are easy to relate to.

But that comes at a cost.

By showcasing only the most “acceptable” faces of ADHD, the programme left out the harder realities — the stories shaped by poverty, exclusion, discrimination, substance misuse, job loss, or contact with the criminal justice system. These stories are rarely seen, yet they’re the ones we most urgently need to understand.

Why the harder stories matter

Much of the media still trades in tired narratives — shouting about overdiagnosis, mocking ADHD as a modern fad, suggesting it’s all down to laziness or poor parenting. They spread misinformation about medication and muddy the waters of public understanding. And while it’s easy for them to do this, it’s exhausting for the rest of us to counter it.

What gets drowned out in all the noise is the single most important truth about ADHD:

Effective support saves lives.

When ADHDers are given timely diagnosis, appropriate treatment, and consistent support — in school, at work, in relationships — they suffer less, contribute more, and build more stable futures. They’re more likely to stay in employment, avoid crisis, and live healthier, more connected lives.

These aren’t just personal gains. They’re societal ones.

Yes, support has a cost. But it’s far cheaper than the alternative. Late intervention leads to crisis: worsening mental health, missed education, criminalisation, self-harm, homelessness. We all end up paying for that — emotionally, socially, and financially.

Investing in ADHD support isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity. It’s smart policy. And it’s the only way we build a society where everyone has a fair chance to thrive.

A step forward — but not yet far enough

Inside Our ADHD Minds did what it set out to do: it made ADHD more relatable to a general audience. It offered recognition and relief to many — particularly middle-class adults with supportive families.

That matters. But it’s not enough.

If we want understanding to lead to meaningful change, we need more stories — wider, deeper, less comfortable ones. Because ADHD doesn’t just exist in tidy homes with loving partners. It exists in chaos, in silence, in isolation. And the people whose lives have been worn down by those realities deserve to be seen — and supported — too.

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What did you make of the programme? Tell me in the comments below!

If you’re an adult with ADHD, coaching can help. At Different Keys, I offer specialist ADHD coaching that’s grounded, evidence-informed, and tailored to how your mind really works. Get in touch - book your free 30 minute consultation!