ADHD, REAL OR FAKE DIAGNOSIS?
ADHD, REAL OR FAKE DIAGNOSIS?
This blog examines the issue of problematic behaviour in young people and the growing numbers who are diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). NHS England estimated that over 700, 000 children and young people had ADHD in may, 2026. The cost of ADHD drugs in England amounts to over £55 million annually, with Kent spending more money than any other region. What is ADHD? How is it diagnosed and what do parents need to know to do the best for their children? To find out more, please read on …
What is ADHD?
ADHD was voted into existence as a ‘mental disorder’ by a group of American psychiatrists in the late 1880s. It was promoted as the cause for behavioural problems in children and young people, despite the fact that there has never been a single lab test, X-ray, scan, or biomarker to define it medically or prove its existence. Which begs the question: why are psychiatrists the only doctors who never look at the organ they treat? ADHD has now become a label that is given to children often on the strength of a questionnaire which parents can pay up to £2,000 for and which acts as a gateway to psychiatric drug prescription of their children.
You will find a full description of the ‘psychiatric criteria’ associated with a diagnosis of ADHD in The Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) used to ‘diagnose’ ADHD. A small selection of these include:
*Often runs about or climbs excessively in appropriate situations (adolescents maybe limited to subjective feelings of restlessness)
*Often does not follow through on instructions and fails to finish schoolwork, chores, or duties in the workplace (not due to oppositional behaviour or failure to understand instructions)
*Often has difficulty organising tasks or activities
*Is often forgetful in daily activities
*Often fidgets with hands or feet
*Is often “on the go” or often acts as if “driven by a motor”
*Often blurts out answers before questions have been completed
*Often talks excessively
*Often does not seem to listen when spoken to directly
What Parents Need to Know
If someone gives your child the label of ADHD, this is not a proper medical diagnosis like diabetes or Crohn’s disease. It is based on opinion only with no scientific lab tests to back it up. There are no lab tests that diagnose ADHD in a living person. Neither is there any evidence for a ‘brain chemical imbalance’ or genetic component in ADHD. ADHD has become a label too easily applied to wayward children without any investigation of underlying physical causes.
Dangers of Psychiatric ADHD Drugs
There were approximately 4.24 million prescriptions for central nervous system stimulants and ADHD drugs in the financial year 2025/26. It is estimated that over 400,000 patients received at least one prescription item in 2025/26. The Care Quality Commission reported sharp increases in prescribing of major ADHD drugs. These figures are for England, not the whole of the UK.
Psychiatric medications prescribed for ADHD include Ritalin and Concerta which are classified by the Home Office as Class B drugs. These are amphetamine-based stimulants and are highly addictive. They slow young people down and nullify their emotions due to their effects of developing organs, including the brain. Side effects are severe and rate a Black Box FDA warning. Prescribing doctors have a duty of care to inform parents of these potential side effects including: aggression, fatigue, insomnia, loss of appetite, weight loss, liver toxicity, stunted growth, heart problems, depression and suicidal ideation.
ADHD Drugs: A Disaster for Young People
In short, psychiatric drugs for children and young people are a disaster. If you are a parent contemplating an ADHD assessment for your child or have had a ‘diagnosis’ of ADHD, I recommend that you access and read psychiatrist Dr Peter Breggin’s comprehensive scientific article (2014) describing the hazards of prescribing psychiatric drugs to children, youth and young adults. Dr Breggin calls for a prohibition on giving psychoactive drugs to the most vulnerable members of society as they do far more harm than good. Children and young adults are in no position to give their “consent” and prescribing professionals rarely explain how dangerous these drugs are to their parents.
Parents are almost always never told that all psychiatric drugs are toxic to the developing brain, or that they lead to chronic apathy and inability to enjoy life, as well permanent loss of sexual function. The drugs “work” by stifling spontaneous behaviour and enforcing OCD so that the child socialises less, thinks in a more constricted way and simply cannot exercise their freedom to enjoy life. These drugs do nothing for academic performance or creativity. Indeed, they make a child lose hope for the future. Parents may initially think that the treatment is working because their son or daughter is quieter but as time goes on, they realise that the spark of life has gone out of their child’s eyes.
Parents are also not told that these drugs are highly addictive and can become a gateway to additional psychiatric drugs, illicit drug and alcohol misuse in adulthood. The children themselves are demoralised by the diagnosis that there is something wrong with their brains and how they must suffer from disabilities in attention, concentration and motor activity for the rest of their lives. Drug-induced symptoms are mistakenly treated as part of the child’s worsening illness. In short, they believe they are defective and doomed. Sadly, a number of children have taken their own lives after taking psychiatric drugs. In these cases, parents have said that they wished they knew then what they now know about the risks of taking psychiatric drugs.
Solutions for ADHD
If your child’s behaviour has been flagged up by teachers as problematic and an ADHD assessment has been suggested, I strongly recommend the following actions:
1.ADHD treatments starts with food: Psychiatrist and brain expert Dr Daniel Amen recently quoted a Dutch study which showed that 70% of kids in the study lost their ADHD symptoms as a result of dietary change. Does your child live on junk foods, frozen ready meals, crisps, fizzy drinks, sweets, cakes, biscuits or Diet Coke? If so, they are being deprived of good nutrition necessary for their developing brain and could be experiencing serious vitamin and mineral deficiencies, as well as food allergies (all of which can have a devastating effect on the brain and behaviour). In my clinic, I suggest a one month trial eliminating gluten, dairy products, corn, soy, artificial dyes and sweeteners. If you don’t but it for your children, it’s not on the shelves. There can be a few rocky days of food allergy withdrawal before you emerge the other side and are able to notice the improvements.
2.Make the home environment safe: Does your child spend a lot of time on electronic devices? Do they sleep with a mobile phone near their pillow? Do they go to bed at a regular time or do they play on their X-box all night? Are they exposed to a lot of violence on TV/ pornography? A wifi router switched on a night will interfere with the brain waves necessary to detoxify the brain at night. Therefore, wifi shielding is strongly recommended for all children and young people with diagnoses of ADHD, or any other disorder in my clinic. The same recommendations go for common chemicals in the home like Roundup weedkiller in the garden, air fresheners and toxic cleaning materials in the house.
3.Reduce stress in the home: Parents should be responsible enough not to argue in front of children. They can’t cope with this kind of stress. Domestic violence, abuse, neglect and drug/alcohol misuse should also be addressed in the most appropriate way that does not endanger the child. I recognise we don’t live in a perfect world but this is down to the parents and family of the child. Consideration should also be given to situations like bereavement and divorce. Talking therapy, not drugs! As a parent, do you teach your child about morals and ethics, and a balance of love and encouragement rather than punishment. Because psychiatric drugs constitute some of the worst punishment you can ever give to a child.
4.Look for and treat hidden underlying physical conditions: These are a lot more common than you think and with only 10 minute appointment times available with GPs, will most likely go undetected. It’s much easier to reach for a prescription pad! Some of the underlying physical causes I have seen in children labelled with ADHD include:
*Food allergies and addiction (especially gluten, casein and egg)
*Low grade chronic infections (Coxsackievirus, strep, parasites, mould, Lyme, Bartonella, Epstein-Barr Virus and more)
*Vitamin and mineral deficiencies
*Eating harmful fats in junk foods
*Reacting to sugary foods and stimulant drinks
*Metabolic imbalances (Pyrrole disorder aka KPU, problems with metabolising folate)
*Intestinal issues, including malabsorption of nutrients
*Pre diabetes and diabetes (both Type 1 and 2)
*Thyroid disorders
*Hidden dental infection/rotting teeth and infections in jawbone below
*Metal poisoning (from mercury fillings which should no longer be placed in mouths under 18 years of age!)
*Long Covid/vaccine damage
*Pans/Pandas aka basal ganglia encephalitis (an autoimmune condition where the immune system attacks an area of the brain it mistakes for an infection)
This list is not exhaustive, but you get the idea.
Take-home message
The key take-home message about all of the above is that ADHD is not a proper diagnosis. Psychiatric medications for children are a disaster and will always do more harm than good. They ruin and can even stop a child’s life. There are real solutions for ADHD behaviour but they don’t lie at the bottom of a bottom of pills. You as a parent need to educate yourself about the solutions and make the best informed decision for your child’s care.
I recommend the following further reading/research:
Booklet on CCHR website: ADHD: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Information for Parents and Professionals by Declan Henry
The ADHD Fraud: How Psychiatry Makes ‘Patients’ out of Normal Children (2006) Trafford Publishing - Fred A. Baughman Jr MD and Craig Hovey
Dangers and Consequences of the Misdiagnosis and Prescription of Addictive Drugs to Children for ADHD (2010) Citizens Commission on Human Right UK
Dr Peter Beggin Stimulant Drugs Crush Children (Simple Truths About psychiatry video)
The Rights of Children and Parents in Regard to Children Receiving Psychiatric Diagnosed Drugs. Peter R Breggin Children &Society Vol 28
If you would like help with any of the above issues, please get in touch with the Good Health Clinic on goodhealthclinic@outlook.com to request a free 30 minute Enquiry Call or book an appointment. Please note that an Enquiry call is not a consultation but an exploratory call to see if this is a clinical approach you wish to pursue.To your very good health,
Suzanne Jeffery (Nutritional Medicine Consultant)
M.A.(Oxon), BSc.(NMed), PGCE, GNC, BSEM, MNNA, CNHC
The Good Health Clinic at The Business Centre, 2, Cattedown Road, Plymouth PL4 0EG
Tel no: 07836 552936/ Answer phone: 01752 774755
Disclaimer:
All advice given out by Suzanne Jeffery and the Good Health Clinic is for general guidance and informational purposes only. All advice relating to other health professionals’ advice is for general guidance and information purposes only. Readers are encouraged to confirm the information provided with other sources. Patients and consumers should review the information carefully with their professional health care provider. The information is not intended to replace medical advice offered by other practitioners and physicians. Suzanne Jeffery and the Good Health Clinic will not be liable for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, exemplary or other damages arising therefrom.