By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – June 15, 2026
One of the most difficult—and damaging—issues in the ADHD world today isn’t ADHD itself. It’s parent denial.
In an early episode of Attention Talk Video, I sat down with Dr. Charles Parker, a long-time ADHD medical expert, to talk about a topic that doesn’t get nearly enough honest attention. What he shared was both sobering and hopeful.According to Dr. Parker, parent denial is one of the most destructive barriers to effective ADHD treatment. Much of it stems from misinformation… sensational media stories, gossip, fear-driven headlines, and well-meaning but uninformed opinions from friends and relatives.
ADHD is often reduced to “bad behavior,” hyperactivity, or poor attention. But as Dr. Parker emphasized, ADHD is far more complex than that. When parents dismiss it outright, children don’t just miss treatment; they miss opportunities to grow, mature, and thrive.
“Lives are wasted,” Dr. Parker said plainly, “when individuals don’t get treated properly when they should be identified.” That statement lands hard, and it should.
There’s no denying that problems exist in the ADHD world—misdiagnosis, medication misuse, and inconsistent care do happen. Unfortunately, those issues are what dominate the headlines, because fear sells.
The result? ADHD treatment becomes demonized, and families who could benefit from thoughtful, precise care turn away entirely. Children are left struggling socially, academically, and emotionally—not because help doesn’t exist, but because fear got in the way.
Here’s the part that often gets lost: ADHD is one of the most treatable mental health conditions when addressed properly. When care is precise, individualized, and guided by professionals who truly understand ADHD, the outcomes can be life-changing. Kids gain traction developmentally. Adults gain clarity. Families regain hope.
Dr. Parker made an important distinction: the problem isn’t treatment; it’s imprecise treatment. And when parents witness careless or poorly informed approaches, it reinforces their fear. The solution isn’t denial. It’s education.
So, what can parents do instead of saying, “ADHD Isn’t real”? Rather than dismissing ADHD outright, Dr. Parker offers a clear recommendation:
- Find an educated ADHD medical professional who specializes in the condition
- Learn what ADHD really is—and what it isn’t
- Ask better questions
- Demand precise, thoughtful care
Every parent wants their child to grow up effectively. But if ADHD is holding a child back—and nothing effective is done—that hope simply doesn’t have a chance to materialize.
One of the reasons I host Attention Talk Radio and Attention Talk Video is to make credible, expert-driven information accessible. Over the years, I’ve interviewed some of the most respected names in the field—people like Dr. Russell Barkley and Dr. Ned Hallowell—so families don’t have to rely on fear-based headlines or hearsay.
As Dr. Parker put it: “The information is out there. Dial it up.” There is real hope with ADHD, but only if we’re willing to look past the noise, educate ourselves, and take action.
Check out the video: Parent Denial: A Very Real Obstacle
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:
Jeff Copper: Welcome, everybody, to this edition of Attention Talk Video. (0:13) I’m your host, Attention Coach Jeff Copper. I’m here with Dr. Charles Parker. Welcome to the show.
Dr. Parker: Thanks for having me again, Jeff. I love it.
Jeff Copper: Thank you very much. You and I were having a conversation and taping a couple videos before this one about parent denial. Can you talk about that a little bit?
Dr. Parker: I think parent denial is one of the most destructive, contributory, anti-contributory problems out there in the ADHD field right now. Because what we have is adults who are misinformed, have been reading whatever, gossip rags about ADHD. They have no knowledge about it whatsoever. They’re talking to Aunt Tilly out in Arkansas about what ADHD is.
ADHD is far more than a behavioral problem. But because they’re preoccupied and because there are so many problems going on, and there are problems going on in this land with ADHD medications, one of the reasons I wrote the book, the deal is people are preoccupied with the problems, so they are then in denial about the pervasiveness of the problem because they don’t want to give their kids medications that could be potentially destructive. And lives, my friends, are wasted because individuals don’t get treated properly when they actually should be treated and identified.
Jeff Copper: There’s a lot in what you just said. There’s no question there’s some issues out there in the world. There’s some misdiagnosis. There’s some medication diversion that’s kind of going on. But at the end of the day, that stuff hits the media because it’s emotional. It’s sensationalized.
And it actually demonizes this process. And for me, one of the things that frustrates me is the media is doing all that stuff to sell papers and sell subscription stuff. At the end of the day, yes, there’s some issues, but so many people are not getting useful treatment that can really help them because people are biased and not paying attention to this notion.
And I’m hearing that a parent that’s uninformed, it’s very destructive because it can be very – treatment can be very beneficial to their kids, and they’re actually denying it through their ignorance. Is that accurate?
Dr. Parker: Absolutely. Absolutely.
In fact, I think what parents should do, instead of saying ADHD doesn’t exist, we don’t want to use it, find an educated ADHD medication professional who specializes in it and get the job done for your child. ADHD is far more than hyperactivity and inattention. It’s far more than that.
And if a person is stuck mentally and developmentally, every parent wants to see their kid grow up effectively. If they have ADHD, they’re stuck in large portions of their lives, could be socially, could be academically, and if they don’t get that corrected, that wish for that parent to grow up effectively, or for that child to grow up effectively, it ain’t going to happen. It’s not going to happen.
Jeff Copper: One of the things about ADHD as a mental health diagnosis, it’s one of the few where there’s a lot of hope. With treatment, a lot can be done. I mean, is that an accurate statement?
Dr. Parker; Absolutely.
If we do it precisely, the possibility of things turning out well is great. What parents see is when it’s done imprecisely, people are throwing things around and then they have a bias against it based on that kind of treatment. We’re against that kind of treatment. We’re for precise treatment and we’re for educated ADHD medical professionals getting it right.
Jeff Copper: Absolutely. And that’s one of the things I have to tell you. On Attention Talk Radio and Attention Talk Video, I interview the experts on a variety of topics and one of the things we’re trying to do is provide education out there so adults can access and parents can access really good information in the media of their choice, whether it’s audio, video, or also the print part of Attention Talk News. Let me just say this, Jeff. Parents could get a lot out of just listening to your programs, period.
Just plug them in and go through them. There is a lot of hope if you know what you’re doing and Jeff has interviewed some of the best. Russell Barkley, Ned Hollowell, he knows the crew. These people are experts in the field. The information is out there. Dial it up. Listen to Jeff and his crew and you can really get some good education. Again, Dr. Charles Parker with CorePsych. Thank you very much for coming on the show.
Dr. Parker: Thanks, Jeff. Thanks for having me, buddy.
Jeff Copper: Take care. Bye-bye. See you guys.