TikTok and ADHD Misinformation

Only one in five TikTok videos on ADHD is rated as helpful in a study. Scroller beware.

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The contemporary view of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is that it is a problem of impaired self-regulation. These difficulties manifest as problems with the reliable and intentional organization of behavior over time to set out plans, persist on them, and achieve desired objectives, at least see them through to some completion. Such difficulties create common impairments in school, at work, in relationships, and virtually any other domain of life. For individuals trying to get a handle on whether their difficulties in life stem from ADHD or something else, social media platforms offer quick and easy access to information about ADHD.

Tradeoffs of Using Social Media for Information About ADHD

However, entering this vortex involves a tradeoff between the availability of information and its quality. Remember Stephen Colbert’s Word of the Day, “Wikiality?” The term refers to the truth as consensus to illustrate the introduction and spread of misinformation. He illustrated his point by making on-air Wikipedia entries, such as describing the state of Oregon as “Idaho’s Portugal” and stating that the population of African elephants had tripled in the past six months.

Though not citing Colbert, a 2022 study put this idea to the test by examining user-generated posts about ADHD on the TikTok platform.¹ The proprietary algorithms of TikTok and other social media platforms provide suggestions not based on the quality of evidence but on what keeps users engaged in the business economy of distraction.

Study of TikTok Videos About ADHD

The study of ADHD videos on TikTok was motivated by the fact that other studies found misinformation about acne, diabetes, and cosmetic surgery was common on the platform. The researchers searched #adhd and took the top 100 videos that met the inclusion criteria. Of the 4.3 billion views of the videos about ADHD, the 100 videos selected for review were those that described or provided information about ADHD, such as symptoms and the diagnosis, management, or lived experiences.

The main results were that 52% of the TikTok videos were misleading, 27% were personal experiences, and 21% were deemed helpful. The personal experience videos were the most popular based on the number of views and had the highest “understandability” rating as determined by a validated instrument that assesses audiovisual patient education videos.

More granular results were that most of the misleading videos attributed transdiagnostic symptoms as being specific to ADHD, such as mood and anxiety issues, anger, rapidly shifting moods, dissociation, and relationship issues. Other videos either oversimplified ADHD or were blatantly wrong. Non-healthcare provider and personal experience videos were significantly more misleading than those by healthcare providers. Healthcare providers had significantly more helpful videos than non-healthcare providers, though non-healthcare providers’ videos were more popular, though this difference was not significant.

Credible Sources of ADHD Information

Credible and evidence-based ADHD information is available from several organizations, including Children and Adults with ADHD (CHADD), the Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA), the American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders (APSARD), and the ADHD Evidence Project.

In terms of TikTok and ADHD, scroller beware.