We're awash with mental health advice. Meanwhile, a generation is getting sadder
There's a woman who says her mother is a narcissist. Who wouldn't respect her boundaries. Who ruined her wedding.
There's an influencer who says he's traumatised by the onslaught of abuse from his followers. It's triggering, he says. Because of his lived experience.
There's a 22-year-old sharing the three signs that mean you definitely have ADHD. A mum recalling the moment she received her autism diagnosis. A guy whose voice booms over inspirational music as he proclaims the power of doing 'the work'.
I don't know what 'the work' is, who assigned it, who assesses it, or what happens when you complete it, but apparently everyone is doing it. It's become the cultural shorthand for figuring yourself out.
For a long time, doing 'the work' probably included enlisting the help of a psychologist or some other trained professional who might help you identify your thoughts and behaviours, and how they might impact the people around you. Now, it's as simple as listening to self-improvement podcasts, reading the latest book from Mel Robbins or Gabor Mate, or, as I am right now, consuming social media content about mental health.
The problem, of course, is that the majority of this social media content is wrong.
Last month, a Guardian UK investigation found that of the top 100 videos posted under the #mentalhealthtips hashtag on TikTok, 52 contained misinformation, and many others were vague or unhelpful.
When psychologists, psychiatrists and academic experts were consulted on the messages and advice put forward by creators, they expressed grave concerns. They argued the videos may create confusion about complex conditions, could pathologise everyday experiences and emotions, and might leave people feeling like failures when unsubstantiated 'tips' don't work.
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ABC News
16 hours ago
- ABC News
What's behind a spike in adverse event reports for Vyvanse, Australia's biggest ADHD drug?
Australia's pharmaceuticals watchdog is investigating a spike in adverse event reports for Vyvanse, the country's most commonly prescribed ADHD medication. The increase coincides with a leap in prescriptions for ADHD as well as a growing focus on the effectiveness of treatments like Vyvanse on social media. There were 320 adverse event reports relating to Vyvanse — or lisdexamfetamine dimesilate — to the Database of Adverse Event Notifications (DAEN) in the first six months of the year, compared to nine reports in the six months before. The most common adverse events reported were ineffectiveness, anxiety, product labelling issues, therapeutic response decreases and insomnia. The DAEN notes inclusion of an event in the database does not confirm it has been caused by the medication. The World Health Organization's equivalent global database for reporting adverse medicine events has also seen an uptick in reports relating to the active ingredient of Vyvanse, lisdexamfetamine. ADHD is characterised by inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. According to a Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) spokesperson, stimulants, like Vyvanse and Ritalin, appear to normalise some of the brain's main neurotransmitter systems, allowing better regulation of parts of the brain involved in executive function, particularly the frontal lobe. The TGA said its investigations included ongoing independent testing of Vyvanse through TGA laboratories, and that it did not comment on open investigations. "This investigation is the result of a recent increase in adverse event notifications relating to concerns about quality, safety, and reduced effectiveness," a spokesperson said. "Any regulatory actions that arise will be communicated." The TGA also confirmed it had seen an increase in adverse events relating to ADHD-prescribed stimulants more generally, with 754 events registered for the most common drugs — methylphenidate, dexamphetamine and lisdexamfetamine — between January 2015 and June 2025. Only Vyvanse's was significant enough to constitute a safety signal, which is triggered when information suggests a possible causal relationship between adverse events and a drug. "It should be noted that increased usage of a medicine would normally be expected to result in a rise in the number of adverse event reports," the spokesperson said. "Similarly, an uptick in social media commentary would also stimulate reporting." Vyvanse prescriptions almost doubled from 958,831 in 2022 to more than 1.78 million in 2024, according to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). RANZCP spokesperson Dr Karuppiah Jagadheesan said an uptick in social media commentary may be contributing to adverse event reporting. Google Trends data shows how much public interest there has been in ADHD and Vyvanse in Australia in recent times, with search volumes and interest in these two search terms both increasing. There are dozens of Reddit threads discussing Vyvanse side effects and effectiveness, and ADHD influencers, whose content ranges from genuine advice to memes, regularly bring the subject up, speaking about their own negative experiences, and encouraging followers to report theirs. Some influencers with tens of thousands of followers have made theories about Vyvanse central to their content. "Social media is very powerful, and certainly there is an element of a shared mindset, and particularly things that are negative can be spread very quickly," Dr Jagadheesan said. Dr Jagadheesan said almost all medications had side effects, and users of Vyvanse should not panic, with adverse events reported by a small percentage of users. He said users should keep taking the medication if it was working for them. "If it's not working adequately or it's wearing off quickly or there are side effects, then they need to talk to their treating doctors, psychiatrist, or GP," he said. He said the RANZCP's committee on ADHD had questioned the effectiveness of Vyvanse at current dosages for some patients, and this may be why ineffectiveness was the most common issue reported to the DAEN. "Sometimes when it doesn't agree with a person it can create side effects like agitation, or even feeling depressed," he said. He said some patients with comorbidities risked mania or psychosis, particularly if they took more than prescribed. Australasian ADHD Professionals Association (AADPA) vice president Dr Sarahn Lovett said the side effects reported for Vyvanse were normal for all stimulants, and she believed a labelling issue on Vyvanse packaging earlier this year had likely contributed to users reporting side effects. The TGA confirmed it previously flagged issues with typos on the drug's packaging, including packaging misspelling "pharmaceutivals", which should have read "pharmaceuticals", and incorrectly pluralising a word so packaging read "each capsules contain". However, the TGA said there were no compliance signals under investigation for the facilities used in manufacturing Vyvanse. Dr Lovett said if Vyvanse was working for a patient, there was no reason to stop taking it, while if it was causing side effects or proving ineffective, users should have a conversation with their prescriber. "The good thing about stimulant medication, however, is that you can stop and start it, so there is no danger to stopping a stimulant — it's just you will no longer be treating your ADHD." Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) ADHD spokesperson Tim Jones said the issues went beyond one medication, and adverse event reports aligned with the "pretty astronomical" increase in prescriptions of ADHD stimulants. He said his colleagues in public psychiatry were reporting more mental health admissions related to prescribed stimulants, often triggered by episodes of psychosis, anxiety, and insomnia. "It's something that's certainly entering into serious territory for side effects," Dr Jones said. He said adverse events appear more prevalent among people with complex mental health issues who might have also had an ADHD diagnosis and been started on stimulants. "I think it's a wakeup call to the general safety of stimulants," Dr Jones said. "We do have to have high-quality, balanced discussions with people considering stimulant medications about the relevant positive effects, but also the risk of side effects, because while not common, they are not uncommon either." ADHD Foundation director Christopher Ouizeman said the foundation's helpline had not registered an uptick complaints about Vyvanse. Vyvanse is supplied by Takeda Pharmaceuticals Australia Pty Ltd, and was in the news in early 2024 as Australia suffered months-long shortages of the drug. A Takeda spokesperson said manufacture of Vyvanse was in line with Australia's Therapeutics Goods Act, and strict quality controls were in place. There has been speculation online adverse events began after manufacturing moved to Germany in early 2024. The Takeda spokesperson said the move took place to support increased demand and "there have been no changes to the formulation". Takeda said labelling errors did not impact the quality of the medication.
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
We're awash with mental health advice. Meanwhile, a generation is getting sadder
Within a few minutes of scrolling through TikTok, the algorithm more familiar with my likes and my interests and my neuroses than my own mother, I've absorbed so many pieces of information about mental health that I barely notice that's what they are. There's a woman who says her mother is a narcissist. Who wouldn't respect her boundaries. Who ruined her wedding. There's an influencer who says he's traumatised by the onslaught of abuse from his followers. It's triggering, he says. Because of his lived experience. There's a 22-year-old sharing the three signs that mean you definitely have ADHD. A mum recalling the moment she received her autism diagnosis. A guy whose voice booms over inspirational music as he proclaims the power of doing 'the work'. I don't know what 'the work' is, who assigned it, who assesses it, or what happens when you complete it, but apparently everyone is doing it. It's become the cultural shorthand for figuring yourself out. For a long time, doing 'the work' probably included enlisting the help of a psychologist or some other trained professional who might help you identify your thoughts and behaviours, and how they might impact the people around you. Now, it's as simple as listening to self-improvement podcasts, reading the latest book from Mel Robbins or Gabor Mate, or, as I am right now, consuming social media content about mental health. The problem, of course, is that the majority of this social media content is wrong. Last month, a Guardian UK investigation found that of the top 100 videos posted under the #mentalhealthtips hashtag on TikTok, 52 contained misinformation, and many others were vague or unhelpful. When psychologists, psychiatrists and academic experts were consulted on the messages and advice put forward by creators, they expressed grave concerns. They argued the videos may create confusion about complex conditions, could pathologise everyday experiences and emotions, and might leave people feeling like failures when unsubstantiated 'tips' don't work.
The Age
a day ago
- The Age
We're awash with mental health advice. Meanwhile, a generation is getting sadder
Within a few minutes of scrolling through TikTok, the algorithm more familiar with my likes and my interests and my neuroses than my own mother, I've absorbed so many pieces of information about mental health that I barely notice that's what they are. There's a woman who says her mother is a narcissist. Who wouldn't respect her boundaries. Who ruined her wedding. There's an influencer who says he's traumatised by the onslaught of abuse from his followers. It's triggering, he says. Because of his lived experience. There's a 22-year-old sharing the three signs that mean you definitely have ADHD. A mum recalling the moment she received her autism diagnosis. A guy whose voice booms over inspirational music as he proclaims the power of doing 'the work'. I don't know what 'the work' is, who assigned it, who assesses it, or what happens when you complete it, but apparently everyone is doing it. It's become the cultural shorthand for figuring yourself out. For a long time, doing 'the work' probably included enlisting the help of a psychologist or some other trained professional who might help you identify your thoughts and behaviours, and how they might impact the people around you. Now, it's as simple as listening to self-improvement podcasts, reading the latest book from Mel Robbins or Gabor Mate, or, as I am right now, consuming social media content about mental health. The problem, of course, is that the majority of this social media content is wrong. Last month, a Guardian UK investigation found that of the top 100 videos posted under the #mentalhealthtips hashtag on TikTok, 52 contained misinformation, and many others were vague or unhelpful. When psychologists, psychiatrists and academic experts were consulted on the messages and advice put forward by creators, they expressed grave concerns. They argued the videos may create confusion about complex conditions, could pathologise everyday experiences and emotions, and might leave people feeling like failures when unsubstantiated 'tips' don't work.
