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/Cute-Expression-296]

Getting diagnosed with ADHD as a high functioning extremely anxious woman is sooooo hard, every doctors first question is “how are your grades?” And later “do you have trouble focusing at work?” If the answer is no the conversation is over.

[u/Misty_Esoterica → u/Cute-Expression-296]

Yeah, some people don't understand that one way of coping with ADHD is to obsessively hyperfocus and micromanage everything. I don't forget my keys because I have a large purse that I've organized to have everything I could ever need in it. I don't lose things because I became a minimalist and everything that remained got organized into its own special place. I'm not late to appointments because I'm super early to them and I set multiple alarms and reminders ahead of time. It takes a ton of anxiety and brain power to compensate enough to be a functioning adult but to the outside person it could seem like everything is easy.

[u/cajunbander → u/Misty_Esoterica]

I recently got diagnosed with ADHD at 38 (ironically after seeing comments on a TikTok, which I then brought up to my PCP, who discussed it with me then referred me to a psychologist) and don’t feel like I have it. Then I read this, and that’s exactly how I operate because when I was younger, like in college, I had poor time management, was completely unorganized, unfocused, etc. I’ve learned to counteract all that but it means my brain is constantly managing these things.

[u/Misty_Esoterica → u/cajunbander]

I'm the same way, I was a disaster in High School and College and it tramatized me so much that it scared me into becoming a hyperfocusing perfectionist.

[u/SamediB → u/Misty_Esoterica]

because I have a large purse that I've organized to have everything I could ever need in it.

.... side-eyes the backpack that gets taken everywhere with him

[u/bsubtilis → u/SamediB]

Backpack ADHD user here too, it's more ergonomic and as bonus the weight works like a weighted vest that helps that part of my autism.

[u/Misty_Esoterica → u/SamediB]

I guess it depends on why you have the backpack. In my case it's because I used to constantly forget to bring stuff I needed so eventually I failure proofed myself by basically organizing a survival purse so that it wouldn't happen again.

[u/JeffieSandBags → u/Misty_Esoterica]

But that's not JUST an ADHD thing. Legitimately, there are many reasons someone would come to these behaviors and ADHD is only one among them. None of what you mentioned is a criteria for diagnosis, but that doesn't mean it isn't evidence for ADHD. Just that we have to consider it in the context of the whole person. Diagnosis is complex and an assessment battery is designed go look at multiple potential explanations for the referral question. Something we all should do when considering labeling behaviors.

You have ADHD, but there are hundreds of people who do all these same things and do not have ADHD. I mention that to say it's more complex than discussion forums account for, and misinformation about ADHD is as or more common than accurate information. Moreover, accurate information is so complicated even PhD psychologists often specialize in diagnosis of stuff like ADHD because even a PhD doesn't give enough experience and practice in diagnosis of ADHD. Hyperfocus us a squishy concept, if you're compensating are you clinically dysfunctional (a part of most diagnostic considerations)  and so on. 

[u/JeffieSandBags → u/[deleted]]

I'm sorry. What were they evidence for?

[u/JeffieSandBags → u/[deleted]]

I'm trying to make a fine point here. First, that your experience is 100% valid. Second, online discussions can't capture real complex issues. And the framing of your response implies these behaviors are associated with ADHD by virtue of them being ADHD coping skills.

I bet many people would read that and identity with some, many, one, all of those and then start to think of the diagnosis and themselves as having similarities. It's like a slippery slope. It's also normal for us to do that, as anyone who was ever interested in their abnormal psychology class. Self diagnosis is a reflex for people curious about people, the mind, mental health, etc. 

If those are how you masked ADHD, then if I do them I might be masking myself. That's the thought crossing minds as people scroll these (really interesting and personal) comments.

[u/Spostman → u/Misty_Esoterica]

I have a large purse that I've organized to have everything I could ever need in it.

I don't lose things because I became a minimalist

[u/EfficientApricot0 → u/Cute-Expression-296]

I had a doctor say I couldn’t have it because I’m a musician and he doesn’t think anyone with ADHD could have the concentration to be a professional musician. I knew me and that psych weren’t going to work after that.

[u/AzurousRain → u/EfficientApricot0]

I have had the thought that professional musicians are in a unique position with ADHD, particularly with orchestral musicians etc where they're reading music while performing in a large ensemble. They're solely focusing on doing a particular action while following with their eyes written non-language instructions for what they're supposed to do. etc. etc.

In my experience there are professional musicians in this context that it would be very difficult to make sit down and read a page of text, but add these other elements (including pressure, teamwork, expertise) and it's no problem.

[u/key13131 → u/AzurousRain]

This exactly. My spouse is a professional musician. An incredible player and teacher--has been playing for 20 years and teaching the instrument for 10, has a master's degree in performance and at the peak of preparing for the master's recital was practicing 2-4 hours every day. But absolutely CANNOT read books. Has never read books. Cannot focus on the text long enough to read it. Was so fascinating and confusing until the ADHD diagnosis.

[u/TheBeckofKevin → u/Cute-Expression-296]

Its really interesting that its essentially results based diagnosing. If you have managed to some how cope with it, you don't have it, but if your life is falling apart (for any number of reasons) you probably do have it.

Lots of doctors struggle with nuance. I think doctors who have personal or close experience with adhd have a better time understanding the colossal impact it can have on lives and are more willing to take in a totality of your experience when considering a patient's diagnosis.

[u/Tiny_TimeMachine → u/TheBeckofKevin]

But this is how mental illnesses are diagnosed.

The majority of phenomena found in people with mental illness are also phenomena found in healthy people. The key is that the phenomenon is so severe that it impacts your ability to live a happy life in society. Meaning it is clinically significant and could be a symptom of an underlying mental illness.

If there is no evidence that your neurological makeup impacts your relationships, work, physical health, etc, then what are we diagnosing?

[u/TheBeckofKevin → u/Tiny_TimeMachine]

I agree, which is why I was saying that; because its entirely results based. There is no actual test to 'display' a properly hidden mental illness.

I find its generally easier to explain it with depression. Depression takes many forms and people tend to see it as someone who is very sunken and morose who sulks around not able to do anything. But we have studied depression extensively and many depressed people simply put on a strong, happy outward appearance because it makes their lives easier for whatever reasons.

Then if a person were to, lets say, take dramatic action, there are a bunch of people expressing disbelief and trying to understand why since in their eyes, they were such a happy and content person with so much going for them. This person/patient fails to demonstrate their mental health problems externally. They would not be diagnosed as depressed despite being depressed.

Its similar with other mental issues, adhd and what not. If you do a good enough job hiding it, you will not be eligible for diagnosis because you're doing too good of a job hiding it. You state it as though the results are the experience, but I'm saying the external results fail to display the actual lived experience of people suffering from mental disorders. This makes it very challenging for doctors because they have to make judgement calls based on the patients ability to either check the boxes they have on their list, or to sufficiently describe an internal state such that it convinces them a diagnosis is reasonable.

[u/UnPotat → u/TheBeckofKevin]

It was once explained to me like this.

Everyone has varying levels of it, and various ways of coping or not.

For it to be diagnosed it has to be a disorder. Disorder being the key word. It has to have had a significant impact on someone's life to be classified or diagnosed.

Hence why it is far easier, and also makes sense that those whose lives are in complete disarray, often resulting in short lives, end up getting treated more often say than someone who is doing a degree. The difference with medication being a difference between a 2.2 and a 1st. Compared to someone with whom the medication is the difference between ending up dying in a dumpster overdosing on Ket because they were homeless, starving and couldn't hold down any job at all.

Everyone deserves the help, but it's obviously going to be easier and probably more impactful to treat some compared to others.

This is also why such a high percentage of those in Prison are reported to have ADHD.

[u/TheBeckofKevin → u/[deleted]]

I absolutely agree with you in a general sense. I was more specifically talking about the woman's experience in the comment. A woman, especially someone who is coping well enough to survive or thrive, will have a really hard time showing enough symptoms to "convince" a doctor.

That's what I meant by results based. If you can demonstrate poor results it's easier for a doctor to check the boxes to make the diagnosis when in reality it's actually a pretty tricky thing to put into boxes. The usual "does it affect your daily life" element of mental health disorders are easy to get around by living a very different life. 

Does it affect your work? No, I've always found jobs that allow me to be late without consequence rather than work somewhere that I have to be on time. Does it affect your family? No if I have family obligations I just skip every other aspect of life for the day.

So the output of the person's experience appears like a diagnosis would be unnecessary, but the reality is that life is warped to cope with disordered thinking in a way that avoids alarm in the doctors office. 

But yes, I can absolutely believe people are self diagnosing at an elevated rate. 

[u/AriaOfValor → u/[deleted]]

ADHD has been underdiagnosed in women and adults for basically as long as the definition was created. Additionally fears of overdiagnosing have been a common issue across healthcare in general as understanding and awareness of conditions improve, when in reality it's usually just that people who had it just weren't aware of it in the past or it was something considered socially shameful in the past (such as left handedness).

Are there idiots who.see some crappy tik tok and think they have XYZ condition? Sure, but those are rarely the people going in for an actual diagnosis. The people who actually go in to try and get a diagnosis are generally the ones who have something significantly impacting their daily life, not the people who say they have OCD because they straightened a crooked picture once or whatever.

[u/basilicux → u/Cute-Expression-296]

Hell, if you have friends and are able to maintain relationships they consider that a mark against you having ADHD sometimes! Like, just because it’s a disability doesn’t mean that all of us are incapable of doing or achieving anything! Even worse when you’re an adult and “functional” because of all the systems you’ve had to create that leave you utterly exhausted.

[u/Downvotes_Cat_Pics → u/Cute-Expression-296]

"Getting diagnosed with ADHD when you don't have ADHD is soooo hard!"

[u/meth_priest → u/Downvotes_Cat_Pics]

for real.

“do you have trouble focusing at work?”

very important factor