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/dweebletart 16d ago

100% true; it took me years to reach out and get support for my ADHD even after suspecting that I had it for almost a decade. I've never had a TikTok account, but it was presumed I had just seen it online and was taking part in that trend. I was constantly told that self-diagnosis was inherently bad, attention-seeking, unfair to "real" sufferers, etc., and the fact that I was aware of my deficits was proof I didn't have it.

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u/Mockturtle22 16d ago

That's really sad because it's a pretty well-known fact within the medical community regarding neurodivergences that self-diagnosis is one of the most important First Steps because it is what makes people actually seek out a diagnosis at some point and most of them end up being correct or close to correct

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u/dweebletart 16d ago

It makes perfect sense when you put it like that. I think people -- probably the general public more than MHPs, or at least I hope so -- are overcorrecting a lot in how they respond to discussions of ND experiences.

You're encouraged to go to the doctor if you feel sick physically, but there's a supposition about mental health problems that one should only seek or receive treatment if it's extreme enough for other people to notice. Seeking help before that point makes you look like a "faker," because everyone's already suspicious due to the perception of trend chasing. At least, that's my experience.

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u/Mockturtle22 16d ago

There's also this idea that doctors are know all be all for every single issue. That you can't self diagnose even a little bit or wonder about it because only a doctor can tell you. I don't believe that's true.

I understand that for things that would require a blood test or other type of exam or x-ray but.. these are widely assessments. And then a decision concluded by somebody who may or may not actually even understand something like autism regarding studies that have come out in the last 20 years. There are a lot of doctors who refuse to learn new things about something that they were taught was one way.

Plus I live in my head and in my body and I am the one that is consistently struggling with XYZ on a very regular basis to the point of debilitation at times. The things that nobody sees the things that nobody realizes are such a struggle. The doctors don't.

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u/dweebletart 15d ago

Right! Compensating for ADHD by being an anxious wreck, operating at 40% capacity at any given time because you invest so much energy into basic normal functioning? Well, you do alright in school/work and make it to appointments on time, so you must not have anything worth addressing after all.