# ADHD Is Real, Not a Modern Myth
Caroline Williams, writing in New Scientist, pushes back against recent claims that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is merely a social construct invented in modern times. Williams argues that suggesting ADHD is pseudoscience constitutes dangerous misinformation that could prevent people from receiving necessary treatment.
The piece responds to an unnamed documentary that frames ADHD as a fabrication of contemporary society rather than a legitimate neurological condition. Williams emphasizes that ADHD has documented biological bases and produces real harm when left untreated. People with undiagnosed ADHD face academic failure, occupational difficulties, relationship problems, and increased risk of accident and injury.
Williams does not present new research in her commentary but instead makes a public health argument about the consequences of spreading doubt about ADHD's validity. The condition affects roughly 5 percent of children globally and persists into adulthood for many patients. Neuroimaging studies have identified measurable differences in brain structure and function among people with ADHD compared to those without the condition.
The commentary reflects broader tension in mental health discourse between skepticism about over-diagnosis and the genuine risks posed by under-diagnosis. Some critics legitimately worry about excessive prescription of stimulant medications in certain populations. However, Williams contends that questioning whether ADHD exists at all crosses into harmful pseudoscience that contradicts decades of clinical and neuroscientific evidence.
By framing ADHD denial as dangerous rather than merely debatable, Williams stakes out a position that treatment access matters more than philosophical questions about whether diagnostic categories are "real" or "constructed." The piece serves as a defense of current psychiatric understanding against what Williams views as irresponsible media representation.