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/karosea 16d ago

Yep. I had counselors and psychs trying to diagnose me with dysthymia (long term severe depression) and social anxiety instead of considering ADHD because I am a white male and didn't exhibit the "classic" symptoms. My depression and anxiety are 100x better on medication for ADHD. There are still struggles for sure, but I am a firm FIRM believer that the nature of ADHD leads to depression and anxiety.

Executive dysfunction and the inability to make yourself do things that you KNOW you CAN do. Leads to a crazy amount of internal shame and guilt which will build to depression and anxiety.

Constantly living your life being told "you're just being lazy, I've seen you do it before" when you want nothing more then your brain to turn itself on and do the thing. But it won't, leads to so much anxiety. Wondering constantly if I'm gonna have my brain cooperate with wanting to do the things when I have to do them, or if I'm gonna get stuck with ridiculous amounts of executive dysfunction and things get screwed up.

But apparently psychiatrists and the DSM think this is poppycock and can't be related

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u/kani_kani_katoa 16d ago

Very similar story to mine. Medication and therapy for my ADHD have reduced my anxiety and depression a lot.

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u/Suyefuji 16d ago

On the opposite side of things, my husband is diagnosed with both ADHD and depression and his depression meds do wonders to help with his ADHD.

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u/kani_kani_katoa 16d ago

That's awesome, does he find it easier to keep up with the coping skills because his depression is managed, or is it something else? I found my anxiety and ADHD reinforced each other, so if I got into a bad place then I couldn't do the things that would help either of them.

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u/Suyefuji 16d ago

The depression meds help him process his emotions better. When his emotions are out-of-whack, his ADHD spirals.

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u/FatalisTail 16d ago

Have you ever felt the urge or gave into thoughts of dosing more often (not more but more often) and staying up, to get more stuff done cause you feel shame about how you fail so much that now you need to catch up, which then leads you to run out little early and go right back into negative patterns? The meds wearing off sucks and you go right back to the symptomatic headspace? All alone IRL and no one to relate to about it.

My friend wants to try maybe one of those non stimulant but not ssris in conjunction with the stimulant. Thinks it'll help deal with those fading moment.

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u/kani_kani_katoa 16d ago

Not recently, when I first started yeah because my dosing wasn't right. I told the doctor it was like a car with a partially flat battery, struggling to turn over. Once I got my dose right that feeling went away. I'm getting a good amount done at work most days so I don't feel the guilt. Are you in therapy as well as medicated? The drugs alone didn't solve it for me, therapy helped me work through coping strategies for it.

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u/cantgrowneckbeardAMA 16d ago

Therapy and continued personal work on coping strategies are vital in my experience. The medicine can only do so much.

This applies to both my ADHD and anxiety. Fwiw, I take stimulants and SSRIs daily without any noticeable negative effect, although I did work closely with my doc on dosing, timing, and monitoring vitals daily.

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u/El_Rey_de_Spices 16d ago

Lucky. All my symptoms just keep getting worse.

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u/kani_kani_katoa 16d ago

Sorry to hear that. Did you get diagnosed by a psychiatrist? Mine said I should go back if the medication wasn't working

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u/heygivethatback 15d ago

What kind of therapy did you do for your ADHD?

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u/WillCode4Cats 16d ago

Everyone is different, I suppose. Medication makes anxiety and depression significantly worse for me. However, I don’t have any other options, so it’s just the price I have to pay in order to function and be somewhat mildly productive.

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u/mr_potatoface 16d ago edited 16d ago

Untreated sleep apnea can also mimic ADHD-PI symptoms very closely. It is so closely overlapping that if you have sleep apnea and start treatment for ADHD without having a sleep study done, there's a decent chance it can resolve the majority of your symptoms despite not actually having ADHD. It won't resolve other sleep apnea issues like high hematocrit values, choking in your sleep, or snoring. It may actually make them worse if you take the medicine too close to bed time.

Also, one of the treatment options for people with severe sleep disorders that cannot be treated through CPAP are the same stimulants used for people with adhd.

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u/FTDisarmDynamite 16d ago

Damn, this hits close to home. I just started therapy, but that's about it as far as getting help goes. What steps did you take to get diagnosed and started on treatment, if you don't mind me asking?

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u/QCisCake 16d ago

I started by making a joke to my old therapist about being able to slam a dr pepper and then take a nap like it's nothing. She paused and told me that maybe we should take a look at some screening questions for ADHD.

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u/HottyMcDoddy 16d ago

What's the correlation between drinking caffeine and then napping right away? Because I drink coffee and will pass out for a nap right after all the time.

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u/QCisCake 16d ago

Usually people with ADHD don't react to caffeine the same way as neurotypical people. Being able to nap right after consuming caffeine is a strong indicator that you should be screened for it.

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u/UnPotat 15d ago

True.

That said everyone is different.

Meds are like that for me also, I'm actually calmer on them. I don't currently but when I at one point had a top up medication in the afternoon I found that I could get to sleep really easily if I got to bed while it was still wearing off.

If I waited too long I would then find it far more difficult!

That said when I take my meds in the morning I usually just go back to sleep on the weekend anyway! (To keep my schedule the same for the meds)

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u/odelay42 16d ago

Start by telling your therapist this and ask what to do - hopefully they can give you a psych referral. If not, ask your doctor for one, but keep your therapist in the loop.

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u/FTDisarmDynamite 16d ago

Thank you. I will ask next session!

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u/mr_potatoface 16d ago

The best way these is to usually just go to an online provider if you state allows it. There's a handful of online clinics. They do a short intake meeting, like 30 minutes and prescribe you the medicine. Then you come back in ~2 weeks for a follow up, then every 1 month after a useful dosage is established.

Lots of psychs are hesitant to prescribe it, or will make you do an 8 hour test to verify if you have it or not. Sometimes they'll just say your depression is causing all the symptoms and you need to resolve your depression first. Cost me like $4000 and about 8 months to get my first ADHD diagnosis between all of the referrals and testing I had to do.

It took my wife $40 (our copay) and 30 minutes on the phone.

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u/JewishTomCruise 16d ago

Yes, but you got an actual qualified diagnosis. Your wife went to a pill mill.

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u/peinika 16d ago

I got diagnosed as an adult in the US, so ymmv depending on your circumstances. My insurance didn't cover the "usual" diagnosis, which is a neurophsych evaluation. However, sometimes you can get an "interview-style" diagnosis, where you will be asked questions, fill out questionnaires, and possibly have relatives or close friends do the same. Your ability to get medication from this kind of diagnosis can be difficult, so if that's your goal, you would need to find a psychiatrist who's willing to prescribe.

You can try calling around to find providers taking new patients who meet your criteria. Maybe your therapist could give recommendations? If you're worried about money, you can ask how the appointments will be billed, then call your insurance to confirm if the price is manageable.

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u/karosea 16d ago

I figured out I had it and went to my family doctor. I presented why I felt like I had it. I was lucky they had a behavioral health specialist in their office who gave me a short screening, I was off the charts and they were willing to prescribe me medication. Mine is managed by a new family doctor now as I moved back to my hometown but I am lucky that she listens to what I have to say and my explanations for what I need or don't need and has been very accommodating. Not everyone is this lucky.

For my son I had to fight like hell to get anyone to listen

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u/PaintshakerBaby 16d ago

Same! I had been struggling with debilitating depression and anxiety for as long as I can remember. It led me down the road of alcoholism TWICE. Five years of drinking, five years sober, than relapsed for four more years.

Because even during my long stint of sobriety, I suffered all the same consequences of poor executive function. My life felt out of control dead sober, and out of control drunk off my ass. Didn't matter, so I backslid into the alcoholism.

The precipitated in a divorce, and I finally dragged myself to my GP to see what the hell was wrong. They threw me on Benzos and SSRIs and it made everything 10x worse...

It killed my will to do or care about anything. I was in a super dark place, when finally my therapist, not my doctor, said I should get a ADHD workup from a specialist.

That was 3x 2 hour interviews with a specialist. They asked me questions about my childhood, all the way to the present. At the end, they concluded I had quite a severe case and prescribed me Vyvanse/adderall.

It was like a light switch! Within a couple weeks, I had hardly any symptoms of depression/anxiety, was motivated, and slept like a baby!

I could cry just thinking about it! All the GPs just dismissed me as a lazy and depressed alcoholic. I couldn't get through to any of them. Thank god my counselor was actually paying attention, and recommended a specialist. I feel like I owe her my life! I'm in a fantastic place now that I never thought possible before.

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u/ObviousAnswerGuy 16d ago

what kind of specialist did you see? I feel like it's up to me to book the specialist, as the people who are "taking care of me" now aren't doing much at all.

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u/bobbyrba 6d ago

You have a good story to tell...very happy for you!

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u/Polybrene 16d ago

My PCP diagnosed me and does my medication management. I've come to learn that's pretty uncommon though. I just got lucky to have a provider who is willing to do that. Plus I had a good relationship with my PCP prior to suggesting that I think I had ADHD to her. She asked me a bunch of questions about why I thought that then she asked specific questions about how it affects me at home and at work and how it manifested as a kid vs. as an adult.

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u/ayurjake 16d ago

Heavily depends on your provider - my own experience involved me sitting on the suspicion for about a decade after my own (Asian - if you know anything about Asians and mental health you'll understand why that's significant) father nudged me to look into it, calling my insurance provider for a referral, and talking to an ARNP for about thirty minutes before getting handed diagnoses for depression, anxiety, ADHD, and autism (though that last one took another follow-up to lock in). A few days after that call I was on medication, and about a month later I was on Ritalin. Completely turned my life around, 10/10, highly recommend.

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u/Ok_Tomato7388 16d ago

This is very helpful thank you. I've tried to explain to my loved ones it's like my internal cogs and wheels literally get jammed and I'm stuck in "standby" mode.

I have been diagnosed with ADHD as an adult but I seemed to have trouble with the ADHD medication over the years. I'm hoping to have a formal evaluation soon so I can figure out what treatment will work best for me.

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u/straighttokill9 16d ago

Keep trying dude (or lady dude). It's worth it to find a medication that works for you. You can do it.

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u/karosea 16d ago

If you're in the U.S ( maybe there is an international equivalent ?) You can go through Genesight. Your family doctor can order the blood draw, it gets sent to their lab and you get a written report about what sorts of medications you're genetics are more compatible with. For example my sons came back saying that he wouldn't do well with methylphenidate

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u/Key_Let_2623 16d ago

I totally agree with this conversation, but I would also like to add that they do not involve women and girls in testing in these clinical studies on ADHD and other learning disabilities honestly in general, they don’t involve women and girls. So a lot of us are left out and miss diagnosed because of misogyny. Because women tend to not exhibit the same, “classic” diagnosis as well. So I can totally understand people turning into TikTok because they’re lame doctors saying they don’t fit the symptoms that the doctor studied in the 80s

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u/wolf_kat_books 16d ago

The shame and guilt aspect is so bound up into the lived reality of ADHD that it has a name: Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria. The structural and chemical differences that cause ADHD do not cause RSD, but it’s so common among us because as children we likely heard an average of 20,000 more negative comments about ourselves than neurotypical children.

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u/karosea 16d ago

Please come join me on the mountain tops and let's shout this to the world.

I learned about RSD a few years ago right before I started therapy. Then I figured out fear of rejection and that feeling itself drove about 95% of my general behaviors and interactions.

I wish it was more commonly known and discussed. Instead people hear it and think we just don't like being told no. Which is absolutely not the case.

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u/wolf_kat_books 15d ago

I just learned about it the other day. Seriously, so much of what I was told were character flaws are just… symptoms. I was diagnosed at thirty. I spent my life feeling like i could see all my potential right ahead but every time I went for it I kept running into what felt like a wall of cling film. I could get it to stretch a little and give me a few inches for a little while but eventually it would just recoil and toss me back into feeling worthless. I’m still deconstructing a lot of it, and it’s incredibly painful- but I am getting somewhere. I can finally do things I knew I’d be capable of but never reached. I have hope for myself and it’s world shattering.

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u/SuperBAMF007 16d ago

Stuff like this is why I’m so thankful my PCP is interested in treating symptoms, and not diagnosing disorders. I totally understand there’s risk of overtreatment, or “throwing too many things at the wall” before finding something that works, but it’s so much more reassuring having my doc interested in helping me solve the problems I’m having, and not tunnel visioning on finding a diagnosis.

Especially with something as low stakes as ADHD medication. If it was an opioid? Absolutely, be 110% sure before prescribing. But with something as hit or miss as mental health medications, it feels good being able to experiment without waiting 6 months for testing and results.

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u/Rotsicle 16d ago

Especially with something as low stakes as ADHD medication.

I don't know; stimulants like adderall have decently high abuse potential.

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u/PurpleFisty 16d ago

70% of people diagnosed with ADHD develop depression. So, it's important to know if you have it early on so your parents can get ahead of the curve and no what to watch out for.

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u/ObviousAnswerGuy 16d ago

I'm in my 40's and have been struggling the last few years with getting properly diagnosed for ADHD. The few "doctors" (people who talk to me on zoom for under 15 min) I've talked to are convinced its just anxiety because that's what I've been taking meds for the past couple decades. Meanwhile that's not even what I need help for. It's extremely frustrated not getting listened to.

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u/greysoul197 16d ago

Did you just say you being a white make was one of the reasons you weren’t diagnosed? ADHD has been studied exclusively in white males.

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u/karosea 16d ago

Nope. I said that I am white and because I didn't show the classic symptoms (i.e hyperactivity) it was never considered. My first comment on this thread I talk about how ADHD is based on research done on essentially your white male children and that has made irs criteria in the DSM skewed for decades to this day.

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u/YouDotty 16d ago

Yep, I have/had long term treatment resistant depression but was 'high functioning.' Eventually got an ADHD diagnosis after my boys were assessed. Executive dysfunction is a big aspect of that depression, so having Vyvanse help with that has made a huge difference to the ADHD, depression and anxiety that I was suffering from.

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u/meenie 16d ago

I'm 42 and recently got diagnosed and this is exactly my story. I'm still figuring out the meds.

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u/Take-to-the-highways 16d ago

There are still struggles for sure, but I am a firm FIRM believer that the nature of ADHD leads to depression and anxiety.

Absolutely, I got diagnosed with everything under the sun, and got put on two different antidepressants, two antipsychotics and and anti anxiety med before any of the multiple psychiatrists I had seen from ages 11-21 finally diagnosed me with anti anxiety. Medication and coping mechanisms have virtually erased my anxiety, mood swings, depression, insomnia, and suicidal ideation. Even when I book with therapists who claim to specialize in ADHD on my insurance's website they often don't know any symptoms beyond hyperactivity and inability to focus.

If there's a lot of misinformation about ADHD on tiktok, I'll reckon it's because even the actual doctors don't know what ADHD is if it isn't textbook ADHD in a male child.

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u/HalfMoon_89 16d ago

...You just described my life. I am shaken.

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u/karosea 16d ago

I hope this is helpful and you can find your way to getting whatever may help you the best!

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u/Itsumiamario 16d ago

As much as it sucks, I'm glad to hear that I'm not alone in the difficulties to get properly diagnosed. So many pf these stories seem to focus on women's struggles, which are important, but men's experiences tend to get dismissed or worse attacked.

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u/ConsciousCommunity43 16d ago

which are important, but men's experiences tend to get dismissed or worse attacked.

Or, wait for it, actually studied.

I'd take that over the social media allegedly focusing on women any day.

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u/Itsumiamario 16d ago

Trends do change over time. Which is why it's important to continue these studies.