Latest news with #VasileiaKarasavva
The Star
a day ago
- Health
- The Star
Too good to be true ADHD videos on TikTok are often misleading, US study finds.
On TikTok, misinformation about attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can be tricky to spot, according to a new study, published this month in the scientic journal PLOS One (published by Public Library of Science, based in California, the United States), found that fewer than 50% of the claims made in some of the most popular ADHD 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 ADHD 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 doctoral student in clinical psychology at Canada's 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 ADHD or that it could also be a manifestation of a different mental disorder, like depression or anxiety. Just because a video or post goes viral doesn't mean it is accurate. "The last thing we want to do is discourage people from expressing how they're feeling, what they're experiencing and finding community online," 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." Karasavva's results echo those of a 2022 study that also analysed 100 popular TikTok videos about ADHD and found that half of them were misleading. "The data are alarming," said Stephen P. Hinshaw, a professor of psychology and an expert in ADHD 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." In Karasavva's study, the researchers began by selecting the 100 most viewed videos on a single day in January 2023 and asked two licensed clinical psychologists to review each video. The psychologists were called to assess whether the videos accurately captured the symptoms of adult or adolescent ADHD that are characterised in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which is used by medical professionals in the US to diagnose and classify mental health conditions. If a video's claim didn't match up with the manual, the psychologists then established whether the symptoms in the video better reflected a different type of disorder or something that anyone, including those without ADHD, might experience. Finally, they rated on a scale of one to five whether they would recommend the video to help educate other people about ADHD. One limitation of the study was that it did not rely on a large panel of experts to evaluate the videos. The researchers then asked more than 840 undergraduate students to rate the videos using the same scale used by the psychologists. The study participants who were the most frequent consumers of ADHD-related TikTok content were more likely than the other participants to recommend the top five most reputable videos. But they were also more likely to recommend the bottom five videos. And that was true regardless of whether they had been diagnosed with ADHD or not. Karasavva said this could be because the TikTok algorithm serves videos that are similar to those a person has already watched - and as we come across the same information again and again, it's tempting to think that "all these people can't be wrong." "In the end, you might come to believe things that don't really match up with the science," she said. Notably, the students in the study also vastly overestimated how many people actually had ADHD. In an email, TikTok said that it strongly encourages people to seek professional medical advice if they are in need of support and that the platform directs users to reliable resources when they search for ADHD-related content. The information on TikTok "doesn't always tell you the full story, and it can also lead the loudest voices to be overrepresented,' said Margaret Sibley, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle who was not involved in the study. "People might not be discerning about what aspect of their experience is ADHD versus something else." - ©2025 The New York Times
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
TikTok Misinformation Is Warping Young People's Understanding of ADHD
Some 1.8 billion people log into TikTok at least once a month, spending an average of 95 minutes per day being engaged, entertained, and even educated by the app. Those are phenomenal numbers, but a new study shows the platform isn't the most reliable source for information, particularly when it comes to health conditions like ADHD. A team led by researchers from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada found that of the top 100 most-viewed TikTok videos tagged for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) content, fewer than half matched the professional diagnostic criteria for the condition. The videos – which had collectively racked up nearly half a billion views in total – were largely based on personal experience and opinion. They often missed the nuances of ADHD, such as the way symptoms can differ between people. "TikTok can be an incredible tool for raising awareness and reducing stigma, but it also has a downside," says UBC clinical psychologist Vasileia Karasavva. "Anecdotes and personal experiences are powerful, but when they lack context, they can lead to misunderstandings about ADHD and mental health in general." The researchers also ran an experiment using the top 100's five most accurate and five least accurate videos, as judged by clinical psychologists. These 10 clips were then shown to 843 undergraduates taking an introductory psychology course, who were asked to rate them based on their perceived educational value. While the best five videos scored an average of 3.6 from psychologists for accuracy, they only got a score of 2.8 from the students. The worst five videos for accuracy scored 1.1 from psychologists, but 2.3 from students. The implications are clear: there's a significant gap between expert opinions on TikTok's ADHD videos and those of casual viewers. Such potential for misinformation could interfere with the public's understanding of the condition, which could affect how many are diagnosed and treated. "Our findings highlight a discrepancy between mental health professionals and young adults regarding the psychoeducational value of ADHD content on TikTok," write the researchers in their published paper. "Addressing this is crucial to improving access to treatment and enhancing support for those with ADHD." The study also showed that students who viewed more ADHD content in general were more likely to share it with others, and that they were more likely to think that ADHD is more common than it actually is. Content creators on TikTok are rewarded for attracting views rather than providing accurate information, the researchers point out, and they'd also like to see more expert content from health professionals shared on the app. The researchers aren't anti-TikTok, and acknowledge its value in building community and reaching young people. But they're also encouraging TikTok viewers to look for other, more reputable sources of information. "Some young adults turn to TikTok because of access barriers, or negative experiences they have had with mental health professionals," says Amori Mikami, a professor of psychology at UBC. The research has been published in PLOS One. Weight Loss Drug Semaglutide Shows Promise as Alzheimer's Treatment Menstrual Cycles Don't Affect Women's Cognitive Abilities, Study Finds Alzheimer's May Not Actually Be a Brain Disease, Says Expert
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
TikTok is full of ADHD advice, but nearly half of it is misleading, study finds
A new study finds that nearly half of the most popular ADHD videos on TikTok share misleading claims that don't match official diagnoses. The study, published Wednesday in PLOS One, explored TikTok's role as an educational tool for ADHD. ADHD – short for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder – is a condition that affects focus, self-control and impulse regulation, making it harder to stay organized and pay attention, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. To assess the reliability of TikTok content that provides information and advice about ADHD, two licensed psychologists watched the top 100 most-viewed TikTok videos that were shared with the #ADHD hashtag and judged their accuracy based on the criteria mental health professionals use to make a diagnosis. The videos were immensely popular, gathering nearly half a billion views combined, but only about 49% of their claims were accurate according to the psychologists, who noted that symptoms were often oversimplified or failed to explain how ADHD can vary from person to person. There were different categories of misinformation, Vasileia Karasavva, the study's lead author and PhD student at the University of British Columbia, told ABC News. "Some behaviors were better described by different mental illnesses, some could be related to ADHD but were not diagnostic criteria, and some were not related to ADHD or other mental illnesses at all," she explained. Adding to the concern, the study found that only about 20% of the video creators shared their credentials, and none were licensed psychologists, psychiatrists or medical doctors. Additionally, more than 50% of the creators appeared to have financial incentives for sharing a video, such as selling ADHD-related products or soliciting donations. "Be cautious of people who appear very confident and are selling you something," Karasavva cautioned. "Try and see if they cite any credible sources like the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] or the American Psychiatric Association." Prescriptions for ADHD drugs jumped for young adults, women during pandemic The study also surveyed 843 undergraduate students, ages 18-25, dividing them into three groups: those without an ADHD diagnosis, those who self-diagnosed, and those who received a formal diagnosis from a mental health professional. The participants in the self-diagnosed group watched the most TikTok videos and were more likely to trust their accuracy. They also overestimated how common ADHD is compared to the other two groups. Dramatic rise in ADHD medication mishaps among kids, report finds People who watched a lot of ADHD-related TikToks were just as likely to recommend both the most and least accurate content, suggesting that they couldn't tell reliable information from misinformation. Among self-diagnosed individuals, watching the videos also reinforced their belief that they had ADHD, while making those without the condition question whether they might. "Mental health exists on a spectrum, and social media is democratizing access to this information," said Karasavva. "To get a diagnosis of ADHD, it's a very expensive, long and involved process. People are frustrated by this and in a way, we have gatekept support on mental health." These findings highlight a clear disconnect between mental health professionals and TikTokers in how they perceive ADHD content on TikTok, Karasavva pointed out. "Even if mental health professionals don't think the symptoms follow what they learn on social media, it doesn't mean that the person wouldn't benefit from help," she said. According to the National Institutes of Health, ADHD affects about 5% of children and 3% of adults. It is often diagnosed with other conditions such as learning disabilities, anxiety and depression. Anyone who suspects they may have ADHD should talk to a mental health professional for an accurate diagnosis, Karasavva advised. ABC News reached out to TikTok for comment on the study but did not immediately hear back. Heya Batah, M.D., is an internal medicine resident at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit. TikTok is full of ADHD advice, but nearly half of it is misleading, study finds originally appeared on
New York Times
19-03-2025
- Health
- New York Times
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.' Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
