Sir Anthony Hopkins has come under fire from mental health and neurodiversity advocates after dismissing conditions such as ADHD, OCD and Asperger’s as “nonsense”.
The Welsh-born actor, 86, made the comments during a recent interview, saying he believed society was overusing medical labels to describe normal aspects of human behaviour.
“Well, I guess I'm cynical because it's all nonsense, it's all rubbish — ADHD, OCD, Asperger’s, blah, blah, blah,” he said. “Oh God, it's called living, it's just being a human being, full of tangled webs and mysteries and stuff that's in us, full of warts and grime and craziness. It’s the human condition. All these labels — I mean, who cares? But now it’s fashion,” he added to The Sunday Times.
His remarks have sparked anger among ADHD and autism charities, who say they risk perpetuating stigma and misunderstanding around genuine neurological conditions.
A spokesperson for the ADHD Foundation said in a statement: “While Sir Anthony is entitled to his views, dismissing ADHD and other neurodevelopmental conditions as ‘fashionable’ is deeply unhelpful. These are lifelong differences in brain wiring, not trends. Comments like these can discourage people from seeking support or diagnosis.”
Autism charity Ambitious About Autism also urged caution, noting that Asperger’s syndrome — one of the conditions Hopkins mentioned — is no longer used as a diagnostic term, having been incorporated under the broader umbrella of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The change followed both clinical evidence showing overlap between the two and the discovery of Hans Asperger’s links to Nazi-era eugenics programmes.
Children’s author Nikki Saunders, creator of the BAFTA-nominated TV and book series Ready Eddie Go! — which helps neurodivergent children navigate everyday life — told the Standard: “It’s natural to fear what we don’t understand. This is why so many of us advocate for our children and autistic adults. However, a diagnosis is important. It helps the individual understand their brain and their individual needs.
“Late diagnosed neurodivergent adults have often spent years forcing themselves into systems whilst blaming themselves for struggling to fit into neurotypical expectations.
“A diagnosis helps others understand them better, before resorting to calling neurodivergent people lazy or other harmful names.
“If you are diabetic or epileptic, this describes an important medical need — it is not a label.
“My children are autistic; they are their name, strengths, character and interests before anything else.”
“As one autistic person once told me: ‘A diagnosis is not a label. Labels are for jam jars.’”
Hopkins, who has previously suggested he may himself be neurodivergent, has spoken about feeling “angry for no reason” and “putting on a mask every morning”. He has said he was encouraged to see a psychiatrist but remains sceptical about formal diagnoses.
The Silence of the Lambs star — who won his second Oscar in 2021 for The Father — has also been candid about his past struggles with alcohol. He has described how his drinking once spiralled out of control in California, leading him to seek help through Alcoholics Anonymous and a 12-step programme in Los Angeles.
Last December, Hopkins marked 50 years of sobriety, sharing a heartfelt message with his 5.3 million Instagram followers urging others to seek help if they need it.
Hopkins — whose screen credits include The Remains of the Day, Thor and The Two Popes — has not yet responded publicly to the backlash.
