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/rogers_tumor]

I think most people with ADHD, adults and women included, would meet the criteria.

I'm a woman, I was diagnosed at age 32. my entire life I've been what I would consider a quiet, introverted person. I assumed I was going to be diagnosed as ADHD-inattentive.

when my clinician ran through the diagnostic criteria with me, I hit 9/9 for inattentive and 6/9 for hyperactive criteria. I'm combined-type. I was absolutely floored by this.

- Fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in chair

things like constant foot jiggling are not generally recognized as disruptive by parents and teachers, because at least I was quiet!

- Has difficulty remaining seated

this one didn't really hit me until I was an adult

- Runs about or climbs excessively in children; extreme restlessness in adults

see above, extreme restlessness now but I was not hyperactive as a child, at least not excessively in comparison to other children

- Acts as if driven by a motor; adults will often feel inside as if they are driven by a motor

I feel compelled to get up and do chores because if I don't do them when I have that instance of motivation, they won't get done, even if I'm in the middle of say, watching a movie with someone, or in the middle of a conversation. luckily my partner also has ADHD and will just follow me around the house. I did not know this was an ADHD symptom.

- Blurts out answers before questions have been completed, finishes other people's sentences

it feels like other people speak so slowly and I always know what they're going to say way before they get it out, I try so hard to not do this because I know how incredibly rude and obnoxious it is, regardless whether or not it's a compulsion I have little control over.

- Interrupts or intrudes upon others

this is like the motor thing, if I don't come ask you a question RIGHT NOW I'm gonna forget. yes, throughout my life I've been perceived as rude by a lot of people and I didn't understand why. I do now.

Criteria that didn't fit me:

- Difficulty engaging in activities quietly

- Difficulty waiting or taking turns

- Talks excessively

[u/AzuleEyes → u/rogers_tumor]

I was diagnosed with ADD in the 1990s with the same kind of scale. At the time they categorized ADD and ADHD differently. I was on the hyperactivity scale but not to the degree to get the clinical diagnosis. Now everyone has ADHD according to the DSM 5. I wouldn't want to be woman with ADD. It must be a nightmare to get a diagnosis.