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.

[u/mvea]

https://news.ubc.ca/2025/03/adhd-misinformation-on-tiktok/

[u/PM_ME_YOUR_TIE_POSE]

Exactly. So, I don't get what the actual dynamic is then. Are TikTokers actually getting it wrong? Or are they just deviating from the outdated and, very likely, inaccurate DSM?

[u/karosea → u/PM_ME_YOUR_TIE_POSE]

I haven't had a chance to sit and read it all but judging by skimming the information posted, the study seems to adhere strictly to assessing ADHD within the guidelines of the DSM which is trash in my opinion. I'm not sure what the TikTok people are saying, I am neurodivergent myself with ADHD and I know I can't start with TikTok it's not good for my mental health in general, doom scrolling reddit is bad enough.

[u/HuggyMonster69 → u/PM_ME_YOUR_TIE_POSE]

TikTok is often presenting a very simplified version of the symptoms, to the point where anyone could meet the criteria.

Hyper focus can be a symptom of ADHD, but TikTok will make out that anyone who gets into their hobby and stays up late because of it is diagnosable.

Or difficulty paying attention, yes it’s a symptom, but also, humans have a limited attention span normally.

There probably are TikToks where it’s a case of them using something more up to date than the DSM, or just plain inventing stuff. But most of what I’ve seen has just been symptoms generalised into uselessness

[u/materialdesigner → u/PM_ME_YOUR_TIE_POSE]

Because there were many more claims concerning ADHD symptoms relative to treatment (see Results), and because these claims were complex, each symptom claim was scored by the fifth and sixth authors, two licensed clinical psychologists, each of whom has 20 + years of expertise in diagnosing and treating ADHD. The two raters independently assessed if the claim accurately captured a core symptom of adult or adolescent ADHD as characterized in the DSM-5 (Yes/No). If it did, the raters noted which ADHD symptom was depicted, and if the severity and impairment illustrated in the video was a realistic representation of what occurs in ADHD. If the claim did not accurately capture a symptom of ADHD according to the DSM-5, the raters assessed whether the claim described a phenomenon strongly linked to ADHD more so than to other disorders (e.g., working memory deficits). They also scored whether the claim better reflected a different specific disorder (e.g., binge eating disorder), a symptom transdiagnostic across various disorders (e.g., emotional dysregulation), or the normal human experience (i.e., suggesting it could reasonably occur among many without significant psychopathology). The two psychologist raters also independently coded whether or not there was nuance, defined as if there was any acknowledgement that the symptom depicted in the video may not apply to everyone with ADHD, or may also apply to someone without ADHD. Finally, the raters gave a global score for each video, assessing whether they would recommend it to others as an example of psychoeducation to help them understand ADHD