Shine a light – understanding ADHD

“I feel like a universe, stuffed within a shoebox” – this is how Bryn Travers describes what it’s like to have Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). On 31st October 2018 the video ‘Shine a light – understanding ADHD’ was released: it’s a short documentary about what ADHD is, both from a personal and from a clinical perspective.

The release of this video co-occurred with the last day of the international ADHD awareness month (October). This initiative of the international ADHD patient organisations aims to raise awareness about ADHD, as well as funding for more research to better understand ADHD. Many events were organised worldwide during October to inform people about ADHD. Knowing more about ADHD and spreading awareness will help people to better understand (people with) ADHD. This will reduce stigma and (self)blame.

The video is in English, with subtitles in English, German, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Hungarian and Swedish.

What is this video about?

Many children, adolescents and adults suffer from ADHD. ADHD is a complex disorder that affects people differently. Generally people experience problems in daily life, especially with respect to controlling attention, impulses and emotions. At the same time, people with ADHD enjoy their creativity and positive energy. Medication is effective for many people with ADHD, but not for all. A downside of the medication is that it needs to be taken every day, and it does not cure someone from the disorder. Other types of treatment should therefore also be offered and investigated.  Knowing more about ADHD and spreading awareness will help people to understand what causes their behaviour. This will reduce stigma and (self)blame.

The makers of this mini-documentary have asked people with ADHD and their relatives what is like to have ADHD, what are the challenges and what are the things they like about ADHD. They have also asked clinicians and researchers working with ADHD to explain more about the origins of the disorder, what they have learnt from their experience working with patients, but also what are the main questions that research is trying to answer about ADHD.

Who is in the video?
The video features four of the most well-known researchers in the field of ADHD:
Dr. Eric Taylor is Emeritus Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at King’s College London,
Dr. Philip Asherson is professor of Molecular Psychiatry at King’s College London,
Dr. Barbara Franke is professor of Molecular Psychiatry at Radboud University Medical Center Nijmegen, in The Netherlands, and
Dr. Corina Greven is psychologist and behavioural geneticist at Radboud University Medical Center Nijmegen.

Next to these scientists and psychiatrists, we see three people with ADHD:
Bryn Travers, Evie Travers, and Aziz.

And we also see:
Andrea Bilbow, President of ‘ADHD Europe’ and mother of two children with ADHD,
Dr. Kai Syng Tan, researcher and artist at King’s College London, who also has an ADHD diagnosis.

In the video they talk about what ADHD is and what it is like to have ADHD, about the pro’s and con’s of ADHD medication and why other types of treatment should also be developed, about stigma and misconceptions and why education is so important, and about the positive aspects of ADHD.

About the collaborators of this video

This video was a created through collaboration between four EU-funded, international consortia of researchers that investigate ADHD and its origins. The idea came from two junior scientists, Laura Ghirardi and Dr. Nicoletta Adamo. They were supported in creating the video through the MiND Training program and by the other junior scientists from MiND.

More information about the researchers and consortia:

MiND (ADHD and ASD research):

Aggressotype (origins of aggression in psychiatric disorders, such as ADHD):

CoCA (origins of comorbid disorders with ADHD in adolescents and adults):

Eat2BeNICE (how nutrition and lifestyle influence mental health in psychiatric disorders)

The video was recorded by 4QUARTER FILMS