r/science • u/mvea 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/kevinb9n 16d ago

I hope everyone in this boat today realizes that there's nothing wrong with going to see a professional and saying that stuff you found online is what made you suspect you might need their help. If it spurred you to seek help that's a good thing.

It's only taking an attitude of "I already KNOW it's my diagnosis no matter what you say" that should annoy them.

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u/666deleted666 16d ago

Absolutely nothing wrong with this. I’m in a demographic that gets underdiagnosed with ADHD, and as I got older, my symptoms became worse and harder to manage. I resonated with a lot of ADHD content on social media - so I took that to a professional. Told her what resonated and why.

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u/Zedopotamus 16d ago

I agree, having a healthy relationship with a professional where you can question these things is very important. I am very stupid and don't typically go to the doctor unless I'm having something negative in my life spur me to go (even then, it's hard for me to break habits like this), so it took me failing some grad school classes and struggling for me to get off my ass and see what was up. I suspect this is a common thing with people that have something un-diagnosed and aren't necessarily struggling (even though, you probably are). Also, I've grown up in an environment where everyone I've looked up to has just "gotten over it." Which isn't healthy at all and has taken a while to, somewhat, grow out of.

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u/catholicsluts 16d ago

It's only taking an attitude of "I already KNOW it's my diagnosis no matter what you say" that should annoy them.

That doesn't align with reality though. Do you think the odds of a doctor taking someone who cites what they saw online seriously is high enough to ignore that what you say here might be anything more than idealistic?

Even patients who take on that "i already know" attitude will back it up with what they saw online. Enough people do this for anyone to preemptively view something like "ChatGPT said ___" as a sign to not take them seriously.

It sucks for people who come in honestly and openly with their health and well-being in mind, but they should also know to prepare what they'll say with a bit more thought, like specific examples of how their own brain is holding them back in their day-to-day or professional lives.