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/Sat9Official]

would likely insist adult ADHD doesn't exist or can't be debilitating enough

What ? I dont live in the US. Is that a serious oppinion by professionals there?

[u/olivebrown → u/Sat9Official]

I'm in Australia and I wouldn't say it's common but anecdotally I know of a few professionals who are reluctant to prescribe medication to adults with ADHD because we aren't at school and therefore 'don't need it anymore'.

[u/Fussel2107 → u/olivebrown]

My psychiatrist tried to tell me that I don't need meds because I had already developed so many successful coping mechanism and had my life together. Until I explained the reality in a lot of strong words.

Props to her, she eventually did put me on meds.

[u/hamchan_ → u/Sat9Official]

If you go on r/adhd there are plenty of people who get dismissed because they were too successful to be diagnosed with adhd.

• they have never been fired
• they graduated high school
• they graduated post secondary

So they couldn’t possibly have adhd.

Personally? I’ve never had any of those issues but my father and brother (very genetic) were diagnosed with ADHD. I wasn’t diagnosed until 30 and meds make such a difference. (Women couldn’t have ADHD in the 90s)

The whole diagnosis process is a mess.

[u/tapdancingtoes → u/hamchan_]

My university doesn’t allow accommodations for ADHD unless you have a history of poor grades and you have to submit your middle and high school transcripts to the department for them to consider you for accommodations. A clinical diagnosis is also not enough to be considered eligible for accommodations. It’s insane

[u/Tizzy8 → u/tapdancingtoes]

Ironically getting good grades in high school on a 504 would be evidence for the efficacy of accommodations.

[u/karosea → u/hamchan_]

I've been in this thread going on about all of it and raging.

I have ADHD. Was undiagnosed until I figured it out myself at 25. Prior to that though;

I graduated high-school with a 3.75gpa. Got a B.A in psych with a 3.8gpa Masters in School Counseling with a 4.0gpa.

Pre diagnosis.

Now I am back in school and on track to finish my Masters in Social Work at the end of the year and get my LSW and work my way to an LISW.

Many many people are successful before being diagnosed. I will say that I feel personally I would have been much MORE successful in all areas of my life, including my relationships, had I been diagnosed earlier in life. I divorced my ex at 29 after 12 years, for a lot of reasons but I'll admit my undiagnosed ADHD in hindsight caused a lot of problems from my side of things.

[u/karosea → u/Sat9Official]

There are professionals who won't diagnosed ADHD if you don't struggle in school as a kid. I have ADHD as bad as anyone and yet graduated high-school with a 3.75, got a BA in Psych with a 3.8 and then got a masters in school counseling with a 4.0 before I ever figured out I had ADHD. Then once I figured it out and started taking medication I spent the next year raging internally that I had been doing life on hard mode basically and felt I could have been significantly MORE successful had I been diagnosed earlier.

The US has a giant problem with professional misconceptions on ADHD.

[u/Eihe3939 → u/karosea]

Of course, anyone could be more productive with amphetamine

[u/Fussel2107 → u/Eihe3939]

Yep. That's how crystal meth works. Makes people more productive

[u/Eihe3939 → u/Fussel2107]

And the same goes for adhd medication. They literally make everyone more productive. I know a lot of people don’t like hearing that but it doesn’t make that fact go away not to talk about it. I wait for the day adhd could be measured and not just based on answering questions. Anyone can do that

[u/kelcamer → u/Sat9Official]

Yes, it absolutely is.

My doctor believes people can't be autistic if they have friends.

I seriously wish I was kidding.

[u/QaraKha → u/Sat9Official]

I went to three separate doctors because I thought I had ADHD. I just wanted to know "Am I just lazy like everyone has always told me, or is there something here?"

Two doctors told me adult ADHD "wasn't a thing worth treating" because the most often presentation is something who so heavily covers it up via masking that they're capable of existing.

Like, this is anecdotes, but the doctors are out there. And even in this very thread, too.

[u/False_Ad3429 → u/Sat9Official]

Unfortunately yes, many professionals don't know any more about adhd than the average person on the street. I always tell people to seek out someone who specializes in adhd specifically to get diagnosed, preferably someone who specializes in high masking people, because they are more likely to catch symptoms that go overlooked. 

[u/Sat9Official → u/False_Ad3429]

That's really sad to hear. Masking is such a huge part of having ADHD as an adult (at least for me). It's not served me well regarding my health and anxiety and I'm trying to find new ways to be who I am. I could see a lot of people going under the radar if the person doing the diagnosing doesnt have enough knowledge in the field.

[u/Tizzy8 → u/Sat9Official]

The people I know who have encountered it are British (specifically English).