March 20
0 comments
Share this
Several studies have explored the role of social media - particularly TikTok - in the rise of ADHD self-diagnosis and the spread of misinformation. While I’ve been critical of past research - not because the findings were inherently wrong, but because the underlying assumptions often carried a pre-existing bias that shaped their conclusions - I find this latest study offers a more nuanced perspective.
Previous studies have sometimes misclassified lived experiences as misinformation, reflecting a clinician-centric viewpoint that overlooks the realities of ADHD, while misinterpreting common parlance ("out of sight, out of mind"). However, this research does a better job capturing the double-edged nature of ADHD awareness on social media - where engagement and visibility often take precedence over accuracy.
Even I, as someone deeply invested in ADHD advocacy, have grown frustrated with the oversimplified "You have ADHD if…" videos that dominate my feed.
A recent study explores ADHD-related content on TikTok, revealing how millions of users engage with short-form videos about ADHD symptoms, self-diagnosis, and treatment strategies. With the #ADHD hashtag amassing nearly half a billion views, social media has become a primary source of ADHD information—but how accurate is it?
TikTok is a powerful tool for mental health awareness and ADHD advocacy, but it also serves as an unchecked source of misinformation. While it can help reduce stigma and build communities, the lack of clinical oversight may fuel self-diagnosis trends and misunderstandings about ADHD.
For anyone consuming ADHD content on social media, it’s essential to balance lived experiences with evidence-based information.
Mental health professionals and ADHD advocates must engage with these platforms to provide accurate, accessible resources to ensure that ADHD awareness doesn’t come at the cost of misinformation.
A double-edged hashtag: Evaluation of #ADHD-related TikTok content and its associations with perceptions of ADHD
Karasavva V, Miller C, Groves N, Montiel A, Canu W, et al. (2025) A double-edged hashtag: Evaluation of #ADHD-related TikTok content and its associations with perceptions of ADHD. PLOS ONE 20(3): e0319335. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0319335
Loved this? Spread the word
“You’ve always had big ideas. People called them unrealistic. You called them yours.”For many adults diagnosed late in life with ADHD, this sentiment rings true. The world often labels their visionary thinking as grandiosity—a term tinged with pathology and delusion. But what if these so-called “delusions of grandeur” weren’t signs of irrational thinking, but echoes
Read MoreWhy “No Phones” Policies Aren’t the Fix We Think They AreAnd why this matters even if you’re here for ADHDThis isn’t an ADHD-specific study, but it speaks volumes to something I see a lot: the growing momentum behind school phone bans, often framed as a silver bullet for improving teenage mental health.But the data tells
Read MoreIs ADHD just a modern invention or a convenient label for everyday distraction? Critics often argue that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is overdiagnosed, socially constructed, or simply a trendy excuse for poor behavior. But historical records tell a different story—one that stretches back more than a century. In fact, as early as 1904, renowned psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung
Read MoreCould machine learning assist in exploring how brain connectivity patterns in young people with ADHD and autism are distinguished. Both conditions share overlapping traits, making diagnosis challenging.In this study the researchers used brain imaging data and machine learning techniques to differentiate between the two conditions with up to 85% accuracy.Why is this important?ADHD and autism
Read More