Latest news with #Adderall
Newsweek
a day ago
- Health
- Newsweek
Woman Buys $3 Bag of Pens at Thrift Store—Then Discovers Their True Value
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. An Ohio woman has revealed how a seemingly ordinary bag of pens purchased from a local thrift store ended up being worth substantially more. In a video posted to TikTok under the handle @cosmicdealheather, the eagle-eyed thrifter revealed how a bag of pens she recently purchased for just $3 ended up being worth somewhere in the region of $100. "You might be wondering why you would buy a bag of pens that's pretty much worthless?" she says on the clip. "The answer is not if they are drug rep pens." "I have been selling things on eBay for 19 years and have sold different pharmaceutical rep pieces over that time period," user @cosmicdealheather, who requested her real name be omitted from this story, told Newsweek. "Certain ones have a market just because it's funny to say you own a Viagra pen or want an Adderall note pad to match your prescription," the poster said. To understand how this all started, you have to go back to 2006 and the publication of a report in the American Medical Association Journal of Ethics. It concluded that even the cheapest of gifts, whether they be T-shirts, cuddly toys or, of course, pens, were capable of influencing physician prescribing decisions. By 2008, the pharmaceutical industry reached an industrywide agreement that brought an end to gift giving of this kind and, in the process, turned those gifts still in circulation into something approaching collectors' items. At the time of writing, there are currently over 2,100 listings under the search term "Drug Rep Pen" on eBay. Highlights include a metal Zoloft pen on offer for $89 and a pair of brand-new OxyContin pens for sale at $79.99. Cosmicdealheather said that pens linked to companies making "painkillers, antidepressants, stimulants, sleep aids, or benzos [benzodiazepines] tend to be the ones people want." She added that, while there is a market for these pens on sites like eBay, it can pay off to cast your net a little wider when it comes to making money off them. "You can find them at thrift stores, estate sales, garage sales, anywhere someone might have old stuff they want to get rid of," the poster said. This new bag of pens contains a few interesting ones and will fetch a decent price once she divides it up into a few different listings. However, there are even more valuable items out there. "I haven't found any of the really expensive ones," the poster said. However, she has had luck with other pharma merch in the recent past. "I find drug rep merch a few times a year while thrifting," she said. "Last year, I got a whole box full of Zoloft tissues for free at a garage sale, so maybe one big score a year." Though it is far from an exact science, Cosmicdealheather said that the demand for these items means anyone scouring the shelves at their local thrift store would be wise to take a closer look at any pens up for sale. "If they see a bag of pens or something at the thrift store and it's full of pharmaceutical pens, it might have value," the poster said.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Defense lawyer argues arrest of accused teen drug dealer was built on flimsy search warrant
PALMER — A lawyer for a Hampden teen accused of dealing drugs from his home and in the parking lot of Minnechaug Regional High School is challenging the search warrants local police filed and led to an arrest. Nicholas Shea, formerly of Wilbraham, was 18 when he was arrested at school and charged with 22 criminal counts related to drug sales and firearms in January. Wilbraham police charged Shea with possession of a Class B substance (Oxycodone and Adderall), possession of a Class C substance (Psilocybin mushrooms), and possession of a Class E substance (Xanax). He also faces charges of possession of a Class B substance (cocaine and crack cocaine), and possession of illegal firearms. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released on house arrest. He was arrested early on a Friday morning as school was set to begin. Police executed two separate search warrants for his car and his home on Raymond Drive. Defense attorney Daniel D. Kelly on Friday argued to a judge in Palmer District Court the evidence gleaned from the searches should be tossed since the applications for the search warrants were flimsy, built on speculation and conjecture. For one, the applications cited carrying a backpack as a matter of suspicion. 'We know that drug dealers often utilize backpacks,' Kelly said, quoting one application. 'People who also use backpacks are students going to school. Every single person of this age walking to Minnechaug High School were using backpacks,' Kelly told Judge Michael Mulcahy. He also pointed out that one of the key things that led police to pursue an investigation was an anonymous letter from a 'concerned citizen,' who told investigators there was a fair amount of traffic going to and from Shea's home. 'The letter was not tested for basis on knowledge or veracity,' Kelly argued. Police said that during physical surveillance at Shea's home, they spotted him coming out carrying a bag of 'brick-like' substances and stash it in his trunk. They also said students had met Shea at school, and jumped in his car briefly before jumping back out again. Kelly countered that the police had not conducted any 'controlled buys' of narcotics using their own operatives. Assistant Hampden District Attorney Andrew Gilbert argued the defense's motion to suppress evidence should be denied. Mulcahy took the matter under advisement. However, the judge granted a motion to relax the conditions of Shea's pretrial release — namely, the house arrest. Mulcahy eased the 'round the clock curfew to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. This led to a mini-celebration by Shea in the parking lot after the hearing. 'Free at last!' he said while throwing his arms out before climbing into his Mercedes. 'I love you, but you need to be home by 8,' his mother responded. More Western Mass. Content As Mary Lane demolition begins, Ware group fights for health care at that site, local control of trust funds Holyoke Chamber seeks criminal investigation of former executive director Reputed gangster Ralph Santaniello back in court over road rage incident Government should be partner with private business, not patsy to it | Paul Chiampa Why I treasure the Pledge of Allegiance that made me an American (Viewpoint) Read the original article on MassLive.
Mint
2 days ago
- Business
- Mint
Pot Stocks Soar on Report Trump Mulling Drug Reclassification
Shares of cannabis-linked companies rallied on Monday after a report that President Donald Trump was considering reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug — giving the sector a much needed boost. The stock of greenhouse production firm Village Farms International Inc. surged as much as 42% on Monday, its biggest intraday jump since June 2017. Tilray Brands Inc., Canopy Growth Corp., Aurora Cannabis Inc., SNDL Inc. and Cronos Group Inc. all climbed by double digits after the Wall Street Journal reported that the US president was interested in making the change. The report highlighted Trump's remarks made during a fundraising event, citing people familiar with the matter. Hints of a new scheduling push from the administration may have also reignited hope for a broader federal legislation push that is key to unlocking value in the sector. Cannabis is currently labeled as a Schedule 1 drug — putting it into a category that also includes substances like heroin and LSD. Former Florida Republican representative Matt Gaetz said in a March op-ed that the Trump administration would bring 'meaningful change' in reclassifying cannabis to a Schedule III drug, which puts it on the same level as anabolic steroids and the medication Adderall. 'Over the long-term, a rescheduling of cannabis would likely lift the entire sector by bolstering research, reducing stigma, improving access to capital, and opening up a large addressable market,' TD Cowen analyst Derek Lessard wrote in a Monday note. He rates Canadian cannabis producer Aurora Cannabis a buy, but reminded investors the company has no known plans to enter the US market. Even if the US approved a rescheduling of marijuana's status, it wouldn't likely have near-term effects on companies without US operations, he warned. Rescheduling is also a separate issue than federal legislation. The US operates as a state patchwork system as far as legalization goes and progress on legalizing marijuana on a federal level has been slow. The sector trades well below its 2021 heyday, when rates were lower and investor enthusiasm was at its peak. The Amplify Alternative Harvest ETF, an exchange-traded fund tracking cannabis companies, rose by as much as 20% to its highest level on Monday. It's still down more than 90% from its 2021 peak. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
The Province
2 days ago
- Health
- The Province
Millions of posts, billions of views: The dangers of using TikTok to self-diagnose mental-health issues
Lack of access to professional help has more young people turning to social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram to self-diagnose mental-health issues. It's a trend that deeply concerns professionals, who fear misdiagnoses — or worse Using social media to self-diagnose mental-health issues is a trend that deeply concerns professionals, who fear misdiagnoses — or worse. Photo by Chinnapong / Getty Images During a visit to a friend's place, Zack Plourd found his friend's medication for Adderall, one of the most common medications for ADHD or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors While Plourd had never sought a prescription for his self-diagnosed ADHD, he decided to try the Adderall. To his surprise, it helped with symptoms he'd struggled with, such as lack of focus, rambling when talking, and the constant need to keep his brain stimulated. So he asked his doctor for a prescription. As a result, he said, 'I can think. I can exist. I can do things now.' Plourd has self-diagnosed for years, based on content he's seen online and his real-life conversations. One of the first signs he identified with was people with ADHD talking about taking stimulants, such as caffeine, to focus. TikTok has thousands of videos that describe the habits of people with ADHD. Advice and clips on how to manage these habits and overcome the hardships of living with ADHD can be seen on several social media platforms. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Whenever Plourd sees these videos, he relates: 'I have those things. I do those things.' Plourd is typical of a growing number of people who diagnose themselves with a mental illness based on information on social media. Most of this content is found on TikTok, where youth and young adults are the most active users. It's a trend that deeply concerns professionals, who fear misdiagnoses — or worse. Sun-Ha Hong, an external faculty fellow at the Stanford Humanities Center with expertise in social media platform governance and AI, said social media platforms continuously feed the user content that is based on their interests. Their algorithms push content that keeps the user scrolling and keeps them on the platform longer. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Because that's really what makes it profitable for them,' Hong said. 'So that may not always be the healthiest content for you.' Social media platforms' algorithms also redirect harmful content, such as content that promotes eating disorders, self-harm or even suicide. According to the Center for Countering Digital Hate, an international non-profit and non-governmental organization, TikTok recommends self-harm or suicide content within 2.6 minutes and eating disorder content within eight minutes to new teen users who express interest in mental health content. This recommended content, rather than helping users, can cause mental health issues, such as developing eating disorders, internalizing harmful body images or engaging in self-harm. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Content related to ADHD has gained traction on social media, particularly on TikTok. TikTok content creators such as Ontario's Olivia Lutfallah and Kansas's Connor DeWolfe have gained a large following from posting ADHD-related videos. Some of their videos have averaged more than 100,000 views. A few have had millions of views. Social media has become a tool to get information on all kinds of mental health conditions or neurodivergent tendencies, and the needs related to them. According to TikTok, which was launched in 2016, topics related to mental health, self-care and mental-health awareness have had more than 100 billion views as of October 2023. On Instagram, a search of the topic 'mental health' shows more than 57 million posts since 2010 while 'mental health support' has more than three million. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. According to the 2023 B.C. Adolescent Health Survey of youth in Grades 7 to 12, more than 8,000 adolescents out of 38,000 said they get their mental health information online. Online sources ranked third after consulting family or friends. In a 2024 study by the peer-reviewed Journal of Medical Internet Research , 21 youth respondents in B.C. noted that TikTok is seen as an 'easy way to access mental health information' with the added benefit of being free, relatable and engaging. The study found that youth engagement with the topic of mental health surged on TikTok during the pandemic, as it softened the effects of social isolation and provided access to mental health information and support. However, the study warned that 'TikTok can adversely impact mental health through repetitive exposure to mentally distressing content and misleading diagnosis and treatment information. Regulations against harmful content are needed to mitigate these risks and make TikTok safer for youth.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Advice and clips on ADHD can be seen on several social media platforms. Getty Images Photo by Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images Self-diagnosis is often the default for people who face high costs for private assessments and long waits for doctors who can diagnose them. A small-sample survey by the non-profit organization AutismBC showed 34 per cent of its member respondents self-diagnosed or self-identified as autistic, according to Suzanne Perreault, executive director of the non-profit organization, which has a membership of more than 10,000. Social media content can help people to understand more about themselves and to recognize 'the 'why' behind 'why I do what I do,'' said Perreault, who self-diagnoses as being on the autism spectrum. According to the B.C. Autism Assessment Network, the waiting time for a child to get an assessment is 80.6 weeks. After the assessment, it can take four to six weeks to receive the results. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Perreault said adults have more limited options, and the wait for an assessment is around two years. If one wants to get an assessment faster, the only option is to get it privately, which can cost up to $4,000. A 2023 study by Statistics Canada found almost half of the people who meet the diagnostic criteria for mood, anxiety and substance-use disorders have not spoken to a health professional about their mental health during the past year. And even fewer talked to a specialist such as a psychiatrist or a psychologist. That's at least in part because public facilities dedicated to mental health are hard to find and to access, said Dr. Edward Taylor, a UBC Okanagan researcher and mental health clinician who has worked with children and adolescents. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Taylor believes people turn to social media out of convenience and the comfort of anonymity, partly because the support system in B.C. is overburdened, which has created the 'lack of availability of a professional support system.' Both funding and the availability of training for mental health professionals are missing, he said: 'They go hand in hand here in British Columbia.' According to a 2023 study by Family Medicine and Community Health, B.C. is one of the provinces with the greatest shortage of family physicians, with 17.7 per cent of the population reporting they have no family doctor. That means approximately 940,000 British Columbians have no family physician. The lack of an adequate professional support system shows in the long waiting times in B.C. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'If it's difficult to find, difficult to get into, if there's a waiting list, you tend to just … move away from it,' Taylor said. With so many barriers to getting professional help, it's not surprising that so many people turn to self-diagnosis. But the trend of self-diagnosis is troubling, said Taylor. He warns there is a possibility of misdiagnosis, in some cases due to an overlap of symptoms. For example, depression and anxiety can cause someone to have symptoms resembling obsessive-compulsive disorder. These symptoms can also have the 'appearance of regular depression' but can be indicators of bipolar depression. Self-diagnosis can lead individuals to develop preconceived ideas of what they have and what medicine they need to get it treated, so that the doctor-patient relationship and trust is weakened, said Taylor. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'They go to a physician, but they come in with a predetermined idea that a certain medication is what they need before they have a professional diagnosis,' he said. For someone who doesn't know the distinction between different conditions, as a doctor would, the wrong treatment can lead to dangerous consequences. Medications that can treat a particular type of illness can hurt a misdiagnosed individual. A self-diagnosed patient may be well-informed and, in some instances, even be able to persuade a time-pressed physician to agree to treatments that prove to be inappropriate, Taylor said. An example is SSRIs or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, a common class of medication given to people with depression. There can be chemical differences between different kinds of SSRIs. For people who have bipolar depression, which can exhibit symptoms of 'regular depression,' the wrong medication may throw them into a manic attack. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. It's been more than a year since several states in the United States filed lawsuits against TikTok and Meta, alleging the platforms are intentionally or negligently designing products that harm youths' mental health. In Canada, four Ontario school boards launched a lawsuit against TikTok, Meta, and Snap, charging that the platforms were 'negligently designed for compulsive use' that disrupts student learning. In the court case, one of the allegations of the Toronto school board is that these social media giants employ 'exploitative business practices and have negligently designed unsafe and/or addictive products' that they promote to students. There are now 14 school boards in Canada suing the social media giants, according to the Schools for Social Media Change website. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Some platforms have said that they are making changes to their systems to safeguard users from harmful content. Meta has said it introduced automatic restrictions so searches related to harmful content are not shown, and that the user is redirected to experts for help. However, how platforms deem content to be harmful is mostly unknown to governments and independent researchers because social media platforms do not explain their algorithms. According to Stanford's Hong, most of what researchers know is based on results gathered from reverse engineering algorithms. 'We have to trust these companies when they are telling us, 'This is how it works,'' he said. In an in-app survey conducted by TikTok in September 2023, 63 per cent of 1,898 respondents in Canada said they find a sense of belonging on the platform. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The recent Journal of Medical Internet Research study, while cautioning about misdiagnosis and the adverse effects of self-diagnosis on mental health, conceded that 'findings suggest that TikTok can be a useful tool to increase mental health awareness, reduce stigma, and encourage youth to learn and address their mental health challenges while providing a source of peer connection and support.' 'It creates empowerment,' said Perreault. 'Create inclusive spaces, create spaces for listening and acceptance.' Perreault sees videos on social media as a 'gentle introduction' on the road from self-identification or self-diagnosis to a final diagnosis by a medical professional. As for Plourd, he applied to the government for disability benefits. He said approval would allow him to focus on improving his mental health or working toward his aspirations. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Once the stress of 'can I pay rent this month or eat' [goes] away, that relieves a lot of anxiety,' he said. 'That means I can focus on getting healthy.' While he believes there is a different degree of validation that comes with getting an official diagnosis from a medical professional, he said it's important not to play down the validity of self-diagnosis. 'Because I know me better than most people do,' Plourd said. 'I live in here.' Thea Catipon is a 2024 recipient of the Langara College Read-Mercer Journalism Fellowship. This feature was produced through the Fellowship. Read More For more health news and content around diseases, conditions, wellness, healthy living, drugs, treatments and more, head to – a member of the Postmedia Network. Local News University News News Real Estate
Vancouver Sun
2 days ago
- Health
- Vancouver Sun
Millions of posts, billions of views: The dangers of using TikTok to self-diagnose mental-health issues
During a visit to a friend's place, Zack Plourd found his friend's medication for Adderall, one of the most common medications for ADHD or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. While Plourd had never sought a prescription for his self-diagnosed ADHD , he decided to try the Adderall. To his surprise, it helped with symptoms he'd struggled with, such as lack of focus, rambling when talking, and the constant need to keep his brain stimulated. So he asked his doctor for a prescription. As a result, he said, 'I can think. I can exist. I can do things now.' Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Plourd has self-diagnosed for years, based on content he's seen online and his real-life conversations. One of the first signs he identified with was people with ADHD talking about taking stimulants, such as caffeine, to focus. TikTok has thousands of videos that describe the habits of people with ADHD. Advice and clips on how to manage these habits and overcome the hardships of living with ADHD can be seen on several social media platforms. Whenever Plourd sees these videos, he relates: 'I have those things. I do those things.' Plourd is typical of a growing number of people who diagnose themselves with a mental illness based on information on social media. Most of this content is found on TikTok, where youth and young adults are the most active users. It's a trend that deeply concerns professionals, who fear misdiagnoses — or worse. Sun-Ha Hong, an external faculty fellow at the Stanford Humanities Center with expertise in social media platform governance and AI, said social media platforms continuously feed the user content that is based on their interests. Their algorithms push content that keeps the user scrolling and keeps them on the platform longer. 'Because that's really what makes it profitable for them,' Hong said. 'So that may not always be the healthiest content for you.' Social media platforms' algorithms also redirect harmful content, such as content that promotes eating disorders, self-harm or even suicide. According to the Center for Countering Digital Hate, an international non-profit and non-governmental organization, TikTok recommends self-harm or suicide content within 2.6 minutes and eating disorder content within eight minutes to new teen users who express interest in mental health content. This recommended content, rather than helping users, can cause mental health issues, such as developing eating disorders, internalizing harmful body images or engaging in self-harm. Content related to ADHD has gained traction on social media, particularly on TikTok. TikTok content creators such as Ontario's Olivia Lutfallah and Kansas's Connor DeWolfe have gained a large following from posting ADHD-related videos. Some of their videos have averaged more than 100,000 views. A few have had millions of views. Social media has become a tool to get information on all kinds of mental health conditions or neurodivergent tendencies, and the needs related to them. According to TikTok , which was launched in 2016, topics related to mental health, self-care and mental-health awareness have had more than 100 billion views as of October 2023. On Instagram, a search of the topic 'mental health' shows more than 57 million posts since 2010 while 'mental health support' has more than three million. According to the 2023 B.C. Adolescent Health Survey of youth in Grades 7 to 12, more than 8,000 adolescents out of 38,000 said they get their mental health information online. Online sources ranked third after consulting family or friends. In a 2024 study by the peer-reviewed Journal of Medical Internet Research , 21 youth respondents in B.C. noted that TikTok is seen as an 'easy way to access mental health information' with the added benefit of being free, relatable and engaging. The study found that youth engagement with the topic of mental health surged on TikTok during the pandemic, as it softened the effects of social isolation and provided access to mental health information and support. However, the study warned that 'TikTok can adversely impact mental health through repetitive exposure to mentally distressing content and misleading diagnosis and treatment information. Regulations against harmful content are needed to mitigate these risks and make TikTok safer for youth.' Self-diagnosis is often the default for people who face high costs for private assessments and long waits for doctors who can diagnose them. A small-sample survey by the non-profit organization AutismBC showed 34 per cent of its member respondents self-diagnosed or self-identified as autistic, according to Suzanne Perreault, executive director of the non-profit organization, which has a membership of more than 10,000. Social media content can help people to understand more about themselves and to recognize 'the 'why' behind 'why I do what I do,'' said Perreault, who self-diagnoses as being on the autism spectrum. According to the B.C. Autism Assessment Network, the waiting time for a child to get an assessment is 80.6 weeks . After the assessment, it can take four to six weeks to receive the results. Perreault said adults have more limited options, and the wait for an assessment is around two years. If one wants to get an assessment faster, the only option is to get it privately, which can cost up to $4,000. A 2023 study by Statistics Canada found almost half of the people who meet the diagnostic criteria for mood, anxiety and substance-use disorders have not spoken to a health professional about their mental health during the past year. And even fewer talked to a specialist such as a psychiatrist or a psychologist. That's at least in part because public facilities dedicated to mental health are hard to find and to access, said Dr. Edward Taylor, a UBC Okanagan researcher and mental health clinician who has worked with children and adolescents. Taylor believes people turn to social media out of convenience and the comfort of anonymity, partly because the support system in B.C. is overburdened, which has created the 'lack of availability of a professional support system.' Both funding and the availability of training for mental health professionals are missing, he said: 'They go hand in hand here in British Columbia.' According to a 2023 study by Family Medicine and Community Health, B.C. is one of the provinces with the greatest shortage of family physicians, with 17.7 per cent of the population reporting they have no family doctor. That means approximately 940,000 British Columbians have no family physician. The lack of an adequate professional support system shows in the long waiting times in B.C. 'If it's difficult to find, difficult to get into, if there's a waiting list, you tend to just … move away from it,' Taylor said. With so many barriers to getting professional help, it's not surprising that so many people turn to self-diagnosis. But the trend of self-diagnosis is troubling, said Taylor. He warns there is a possibility of misdiagnosis, in some cases due to an overlap of symptoms. For example, depression and anxiety can cause someone to have symptoms resembling obsessive-compulsive disorder. These symptoms can also have the 'appearance of regular depression' but can be indicators of bipolar depression. Self-diagnosis can lead individuals to develop preconceived ideas of what they have and what medicine they need to get it treated, so that the doctor-patient relationship and trust is weakened, said Taylor. 'They go to a physician, but they come in with a predetermined idea that a certain medication is what they need before they have a professional diagnosis,' he said. For someone who doesn't know the distinction between different conditions, as a doctor would, the wrong treatment can lead to dangerous consequences. Medications that can treat a particular type of illness can hurt a misdiagnosed individual. A self-diagnosed patient may be well-informed and, in some instances, even be able to persuade a time-pressed physician to agree to treatments that prove to be inappropriate, Taylor said. An example is SSRIs or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, a common class of medication given to people with depression. There can be chemical differences between different kinds of SSRIs. For people who have bipolar depression, which can exhibit symptoms of 'regular depression,' the wrong medication may throw them into a manic attack. It's been more than a year since several states in the United States filed lawsuits against TikTok and Meta, alleging the platforms are intentionally or negligently designing products that harm youths' mental health. In Canada, four Ontario school boards launched a lawsuit against TikTok, Meta, and Snap, charging that the platforms were 'negligently designed for compulsive use' that disrupts student learning. In the court case, one of the allegations of the Toronto school board is that these social media giants employ 'exploitative business practices and have negligently designed unsafe and/or addictive products' that they promote to students. There are now 14 school boards in Canada suing the social media giants, according to the Schools for Social Media Change website. Some platforms have said that they are making changes to their systems to safeguard users from harmful content. Meta has said it introduced automatic restrictions so searches related to harmful content are not shown, and that the user is redirected to experts for help. However, how platforms deem content to be harmful is mostly unknown to governments and independent researchers because social media platforms do not explain their algorithms. According to Stanford's Hong, most of what researchers know is based on results gathered from reverse engineering algorithms. 'We have to trust these companies when they are telling us, 'This is how it works,'' he said. In an in-app survey conducted by TikTok in September 2023, 63 per cent of 1,898 respondents in Canada said they find a sense of belonging on the platform. The recent Journal of Medical Internet Research study, while cautioning about misdiagnosis and the adverse effects of self-diagnosis on mental health, conceded that 'findings suggest that TikTok can be a useful tool to increase mental health awareness, reduce stigma, and encourage youth to learn and address their mental health challenges while providing a source of peer connection and support.' 'It creates empowerment,' said Perreault. 'Create inclusive spaces, create spaces for listening and acceptance.' Perreault sees videos on social media as a 'gentle introduction' on the road from self-identification or self-diagnosis to a final diagnosis by a medical professional. As for Plourd, he applied to the government for disability benefits. He said approval would allow him to focus on improving his mental health or working toward his aspirations. 'Once the stress of 'can I pay rent this month or eat' [goes] away, that relieves a lot of anxiety,' he said. 'That means I can focus on getting healthy.' While he believes there is a different degree of validation that comes with getting an official diagnosis from a medical professional, he said it's important not to play down the validity of self-diagnosis. 'Because I know me better than most people do,' Plourd said. 'I live in here.' Thea Catipon is a 2024 recipient of the Langara College Read-Mercer Journalism Fellowship. This feature was produced through the Fellowship. For more health news and content around diseases, conditions, wellness, healthy living, drugs, treatments and more, head to – a member of the Postmedia Network.
