ADHD has occupied the media spotlight many times since it was first recognised under a different name in the 1950s. Following a new BBC documentary on ADHD featuring King’s College London researchers, the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience is hosting a thought-provoking discussion on the past, present and future of ADHD.

Join us to explore the history of ADHD—when and how the diagnosis first emerged—and why so many people today face long waits for assessment. We’ll also discuss the medications used to treat ADHD and consider the impact of rising awareness, fuelled by social media and celebrity stories. Has this shift helped to reduce stigma, or has it shaped public perceptions in unexpected ways? And what does this mean for people with ADHD, especially those whose voices aren’t heard in the debate?

The event is hosted during Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2025, a worldwide initiative that challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about neurological differences.

Welcome and introduction by Professor Philip Shaw, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King's College London and Director of the King’s Maudsley Partnership for Children and Young People.

Panel:

• Pee-Wee Chamings, former journalist, now self-employed smallholder and late diagnosed ADHD
• Cole Middler

• Eleanor Dommett, Professor of Neuroscience, King’s College London

• Dr Jessica Eccles, Chair Royal College of Psychiatrists Neurodevelopmental Psychiatry Special Interest Group and Reader in Brain-Body Medicine, Brighton and Sussex Medical School.

• Sally Marlow (chair), Professor of Practice in Public Understanding of Mental Health Research, King’s College London

• Matthew Smith, Professor of History, University of Strathclyde