r/science Professor | Medicine 16d ago

Neuroscience ADHD misinformation on TikTok is shaping young adults’ perceptions. An analysis of the 100 most-viewed TikTok videos related to ADHD revealed that fewer than half the claims about symptoms actually align with clinical guidelines for diagnosing ADHD.

https://news.ubc.ca/2025/03/adhd-misinformation-on-tiktok/
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u/angry_cabbie 16d ago

I have a godchild who believes they had autism due to TikTok. They fought for a bit to get tested, and it turns out they actually are autistic.

Then they started diagnosing themselves with DID because of TikTok...

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u/Eggsformycat 16d ago

Sounds like a kid with mental health needs that aren't being met so they're doing all they can to figure it out to feel better.

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u/JHMfield 16d ago

I wonder what's the risk of misdiagnosis when the person being tested is so convinced they have a condition that they might mimic the symptoms?

That is definitely something I'd worry about. So many medical diagnosis rely on the patient's own words, on what they claim to be true about themselves. And social media is so disgustingly influential.

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u/HuggyMonster69 16d ago

At least for me, I was asked to bring my mum to my ADHD tests, and she also got a questionnaire, basically to see her perception of my symptoms. Presumably to avoid exactly what you described.

While for me I think that was a good idea to make sure it wasn’t just me trying to get a diagnosis, it does rely on having someone supportive who has known you since childhood.

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u/IAintDeceasedYet 16d ago

I'm not a mental health professional but I was diagnosed with ADHD (recently) and they do have what seemed to me to be good controls for that.

One of them was among other questionnaires I did was one that was super long, like 300 or 400 questions. Not hard questions, simple multiple choice answers, took like 45-60 minutes, but they were extremely varied. It was obvious that one part of this was to make sure I was actually reading the questions and selecting appropriately, not just hitting "severe/every day" mindlessly. But also, the report I got implied there's a normal spread of symptoms vs an abnormal - like having EVERY SINGLE ADHD symptom or having ABSOLUTELY ZERO depressive/anxious symptoms. There's also the big clue, which is that some of the questions referenced made up stuff, like a poet that doesn't exist and it asks if I find their poems sad or something like that.

The other thing is that I was interviewed by a psych for a total of 3 hours over two sessions, and the notes from the report show that the way I behaved in those sessions is a significant part of the assessment. One part noted that I fidgeted throughout the sessions, and the way it was worded indicated they took note of consistency - a faker trying to remember to fidget would probably look very different. They also noted that my affect was consistent with my words, I appeared alert and open, stuff like that. All assessing that I appeared to be engaging in good faith.

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u/love_is_an_action 16d ago

but I was diagnosed with ADHD (recently) and they do have what seemed to me to be good controls for that.

That was my experience, being diagnosed at long last in my late 30s a few years back.

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u/JHMfield 16d ago

That sounds good. Hopefully such controls are widespread. Last thing we need is already difficult to diagnose mental ailments to be misdiagnosed because of social media brainrot.

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u/EggonomicalSolutions 16d ago

Well look at it that way, they diagnose themselves, mimic unrelated symptoms while convincing themselves they have add/ADHD. That could result in a wide variety of mental illnesses.

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u/Ratsmiths 16d ago

I know somebody who did this… they met someone with bipolar and then the next day went to a psych and told the doc they have ALL the symptoms when the people close to them have never seen them exhibit these behaviors ever. They also keep adding on new mental illnesses every six months.