Clinical psychologists reviewed 100 ADHD TikToks and found that fewer than half of their claims about symptoms align with clinical guidelines for diagnosing the condition.
Popular TikTok videos about ADHD often contain misinformation about symptoms, a new study finds.
Many creators share personal experiences that researchers say do not match the scientific literature about Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and might even occur in people who don’t have the disorder.
The lead author says, “Anecdotes and personal experiences are powerful, but when they lack context, they can lead to misunderstandings about ADHD and mental health in general.”
For the study, two clinical psychologists reviewed the top 100 ADHD TikToks and ranked them for accuracy.
Fewer than half of the claims made about ADHD symptoms matched the clinical guidelines used by professionals to diagnose the condition.
Nearly 850 college students – with and without ADHD – were then shown the top 5 and bottom 5 psychologist-rated videos and asked about their informational value.
Overall, the students viewed the top five videos less favorably than the experts and the bottom five more favorably. The researchers say this suggests that misinformation may be slipping through unnoticed by most young people.
The study also found students who consumed the most ADHD content tended to overestimate its prevalence and severity.
Source: PLOS One
Author Affiliations: University of British Columbia
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