A.D.H.D. Videos on TikTok Are Often Misleading, New Study Finds
On TikTok, misinformation about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can be tricky to spot, according to a new study.
The study, published on Wednesday in the journal PLOS One, found that fewer than 50 percent of the claims made in some of the most popular A.D.H.D. videos on TikTok offered information that matched diagnostic criteria or professional treatment recommendations for the disorder. And, the researchers found, even study participants who had already been diagnosed with A.D.H.D. had trouble discerning which information was most reliable.
About half of the TikTok creators included in the study were using the platform to sell products, such as fidget spinners, or services like coaching. None of them were licensed mental health professionals.
The lack of nuance is concerning, said Vasileia Karasavva, a Ph.D. student in c linical psychology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver and the lead author of the study. If TikTok creators talk about difficulty concentrating, she added, they don't typically mention that the symptom is not specific to A.D.H.D. or that it could also be a manifestation of a different mental disorder, like depression or anxiety.
'The last thing we want to do is discourage people from expressing how they're feeling, what they're experiencing and finding community online,' Ms. Karasavva said. 'At the same time, it might be that you self-diagnose with something that doesn't apply to you, and then you don't get the help that you actually need.'
Ms. Karasavva's results echo those of a 2022 study that also analyzed 100 popular TikTok videos about A.D.H.D. and found that half of them were misleading.
'The data are alarming,' said Stephen P. Hinshaw, a professor of psychology and an expert in A.D.H.D. at the University of California, Berkeley, who was not involved in either study. The themes of the videos might easily resonate with viewers, he added, but 'accurate diagnosis takes access, time and money.'
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