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/ModernWarBear 16d ago

Yeah and this is an even bigger problem for women since they don’t outwardly manifest obvious symptoms the way men do.

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u/Fussel2107 16d ago

not always. I'm actually very texbook. Highly hyperactive to this day, easily distractable and doing something else to the point it was always noted on my school reports, massive trouble paying attention. Literally the only thing missing from standard diagnostic criteria? Aggressive interruption in school. Which still almost cost me a diagnosis.

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u/purpleushi 16d ago

The only reason I got diagnosed as a kid (female) was because of the interrupting in class. And the only reason I was such a disruption in school was because I went to an all girls school and therefore wasn’t socialized like a lot of other girls are, where teachers and other kids unconsciously reward boys for that kind of behavior and punish girls. Had I gone to a co-ed school, I likely would have suffered more from gender-normative expectations and have repressed a lot of my ADHD traits earlier.

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u/catholicsluts 16d ago

I wonder if this is less a sex thing and more an introvert/extrovert thing

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u/ThatGuyinPJs 15d ago

I have to say as someone who is still exploring and questioning myself, this constant messaging of "boys with ADHD are hyperactive, and girls are introverted," legitimately makes me pause and ask myself if I'm trans because I do not present with the typical male ADHD experience but I very much resonate with the most common female experience.