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Believe it or Not: Social Media’s Effect on the Understanding and Diagnosis of ADHD
The issues surrounding mental health have existed for ages, yet society continues to stigmatize the topic, often viewing mental illnesses as uncomfortable, unimportant, and unreasonable. However, in recent years the topic of mental illness has gained traction, and it is all thanks to social media. Social media has sparked new conversations regarding mental health awareness, drawing light to an otherwise darkened issue. Yet the influx of awareness has brought new challenges to the matter, particularly attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. Through misinformation and self-diagnosis, social media has complicated the understanding and diagnosis of ADHD.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition that hinders an individual’s ability to focus. However, there is no true definition of ADHD and how it presents itself in a person. David Rettew, author of “Discuss ADHD ‘Controversy’ with Parents” published in Pediatric News, addresses the difficulty of defining ADHD. He writes, “in some ways the label of ADHD is a lot like the label of someone being tall, with some individuals clearly falling into the category of ‘tall’ or ‘not tall,’ while many others could be considered in-between.” Rettew explains that ADHD exists on a spectrum, meaning that individuals experience symptoms to varying degrees. As ADHD presents differently in each person, defining the disorder is challenging.
While defining ADHD is not an easy task, the disorder has been around for years, affecting a multitude of individuals worldwide. Yet, in the past decade, cases of ADHD have increased exponentially. In his book Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention—and How to Think Deeply Again (2022), Johann Hari discusses the significant rise in ADHD cases. He notes that “between 2003 and 2011 alone, diagnoses of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) soared in the United States by 43 percent overall, and by 55 percent among girls” (224). Hari’s findings emphasize the alarming increase of ADHD cases in adolescents with little indication of it plateauing. This rise in cases is a result of social media’s influence. In my opinion, this rise in cases is largely a result of social media’s influence.
Social media, one of the more influential points of technology, serves as a form of communicating with others. Between TikTok and YouTube, finding information has never been easier. Amongst the widespread trends of dieting and dancing, lies information regarding ADHD. Users of TikTok and YouTube read this information, or misinformation, which is information that contains little truth behind it, and diagnose themselves with ADHD in a matter of minutes. It is easy to fall prey to social media, blindly believing the topics and ideas individuals present with convincing evidence. After all, why would they lie?
As the saying goes, one should not believe everything they read on the internet. This advice is particularly relevant when it comes to information about ADHD on social media. In their article “TikTok and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Cross-Sectional Study of Social Media Content Quality,” published in The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, Anthony Yeung and others examine the misinformation about ADHD found on TikTok. Their analysis of 100 videos revealed that more than half contained false information regarding ADHD (899). Similarly, in “YouTube Lens to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Social Media Analysis,” Pratikshya Thapa and others support these findings, as they analyzed 159 YouTube videos about ADHD and found that 61 of them presented misleading information (Thapa et al. 1). The spread of misinformation about ADHD on social media leaves individuals confused and misled, significantly complicating public discussions of the disorder. Instead of accessing clear and truthful information, people are often confronted with lies and distorted realities. This can lead some individuals to falsely believe they have symptoms of ADHD, or, more alarmingly, to doubt they have ADHD at all if their experiences don’t match the misinformation they encounter. Ultimately, both studies underscore the unreliability of social media as a source of medical information, particularly regarding ADHD.
Amidst the issue of misinformation lies another problem: self-diagnosis. Self-diagnosis occurs when individuals diagnose themselves with a condition or ailment without professional consultation. This issue, particularly concerning ADHD, is explored in “Randomized Feedback about Diagnosis Influences Statistical and Clinical Significance of Self-Reported ADHD Assessment in Adults,” Gregory Privitera and others conducted a study with fifty-four individuals who took a self-reported ADHD test twice. In the first trial, all participants tested negative for ADHD. A week later, they received their test results, with eighteen falsely told they had tested positive. Upon retaking the self-reported exam, eight out of these eighteen participants tested positive for ADHD. They explain, “the results do show that self-beliefs regarding the likelihood of having ADHD can lead to young adults without ADHD to overreport their symptoms, potentially leading to overdiagnosis in these cases” (Privitera et al. 447). Such study suggests that individuals may begin to identify with ADHD symptoms and even test positive in self-assessments simply because they were falsely informed they had the disorder. Just as the test subjects began to exhibit ADHD traits after being falsely told they had the condition, individuals exposed to misleading information about ADHD on social media may start identifying with these symptoms (Privitera et al. 450). This can lead to self-diagnosis, where people believe they have ADHD despite not actually having it. In “Screen Media Use and ADHD-Related Behaviors: Four Decades of Research,” Ine Beyens and others explored the relationship between social media use and ADHD-related symptoms. They found that, particularly among young children and boys, there was a positive correlation between social media use and increased hyperactivity. Additionally, they suggest that social media may exacerbate symptoms similar to those of ADHD, leading parents to diagnose their children based on these symptoms and potentially contributing to the overdiagnosis of the disorder.
Although Beyens and others found a correlation between social media use and symptoms similar to those of ADHD, the evidence was not substantial (9878). As they note, the hyperactivity of children, which seemed to increase with the use of social media, went away upon parental disciplinary adjustments (9877). They further conclude that “while there are many hypotheses to explain how and why media use and ADHD-related behaviors may be linked, as well as for whom they may be linked, the empirical work seems to lag behind” (9878). Though a relationship between social media use and ADHD symptoms seems apparent, there is not enough evidence to fully support the claim, emphasizing the necessity for further research.
Furthermore, Beyens and others discuss the impact of technology on ADHD, concluding that more research is needed to determine the true effect of social media on the disorder (9878). In contrast, Hari focuses on the role of an individual’s environment, analyzing how living conditions may contribute to ADHD more significantly than social media. He found that the environment in which a person is raised can influence their ability to pay attention, stating, “if a child is raised in an environment where there is a lot of stress, they are significantly more likely to then develop attention problems and be diagnosed with ADHD” (225). This suggests that an individual’s environment can profoundly shape their behavior and potentially lead to an ADHD diagnosis, highlighting the importance of parenting styles and nurturing environments for a child’s development. However, Hari notes that some researchers and doctors have argued that children who struggle with attention may have a biological disorder, which could explain their symptoms of ADHD (224). Hari’s findings suggest that environmental conditions moderately influence the development of ADHD, although social media is not a primary factor. He also notes that biology plays a role in the presence of ADHD, another factor not affected by social media (224). However, it is important to acknowledge that the evidence supporting both of these hypotheses is relatively weak and largely circumstantial. Both Hari and Beyens and others would agree that social media does not directly increase ADHD symptoms, though Hari would argue that environmental factors can potentially predispose an individual to ADHD.
Despite the lingering question of whether or not social media increases the symptoms of ADHD, which would lead to an increase of diagnosed cases, social media does misinform others about false realities of ADHD going as far as to dispute the disability entirely. As David Rettew writes, “there remains considerable controversy in the public about how ‘real’ ADHD actually is. Social media, blogs, and even entire books have been written that disparage the diagnosis and even suggest that ADHD was fabricated by the pharmaceutical industry to sell medication.” While social media promotes the discussion of ADHD, it conflictingly disputes aspects of the disability. As a result, parents begin questioning the validity of their child’s symptoms, falling into the age-old trap of believing that it is all in a person’s head. Rettew notes the absurdity of these accusations, but advocates for the fact that, in truth, there are “several aspects of ADHD that legitimately cause more confusion and less confidence about the diagnosis, relative to other common pediatric problems.” ADHD does not have clear cut symptoms, and many individuals can have the symptoms full force, or moderately. As a result, parents and children alike face difficulty in ascertaining the presence of ADHD. Thus, adding to the difficulty of understanding the disability. While the existence of ADHD seems almost unquestionable, there are those who believe it is nothing more than a conspiracy. The false stories which seemingly disprove the existence of ADHD confuse parents and individuals who have ADHD, complicating the understanding of ADHD enormously.
Despite the widespread misinformation and frequent self-diagnosis associated with ADHD, social media has undeniably played a role in raising awareness about the disorder. Overall, this increased awareness is a positive development. Discussing mental health issues publicly was unorthodox in the past, but social media has seemingly normalized the topic. As a result, more individuals have begun to speak up about their experiences with ADHD, and, buried underneath the embellished anecdotes, lie genuine personal experiences from those who have ADHD. These truthful stories help others find comfort with themselves, reminding individuals they are not alone in their experiences; they are heard and valid, and, as Hari explains, “whatever the cause, if you or your child is struggling to focus, it’s not your fault; you’re not incompetent or undisciplined or any of the other stigmatizing labels that might have been applied to you” (214). Further, before, individuals believed there were clear cut symptoms of ADHD; an individual either possessed them, or they did not. Now, however, it has become clear ADHD is more of a spectrum. As a result, more individuals have been assessed for ADHD, since even small symptoms could mean the presence of ADHD. In this sense, social media has proved beneficial towards attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Social media has taken the world by storm, granting individuals access to new forms of communicating ideas and information. Yet social media is not without its flaws. Misinformation about ADHD has caused some individuals to believe they have a disability they do not actually possess. In this sense, self-diagnosis has led to an increase of ADHD cases, some valid while others miss the mark entirely. While it is suggested that social media enhances symptoms similar to ADHD, this theory requires more testing. Nevertheless, signs indicate that the environment influences ADHD, whether social media is included in this category is to be determined, and not a purely biological disability. In spite of its negative effects, like misinformation and improper diagnosis, social media has brought awareness to a disability which affects individuals across the globe. This has brought attention to how disabilities manifest in individuals and has highlighted the importance of evaluating someone if symptoms arise. Despite social media’s negative impacts on understanding ADHD, there is often good hidden within the bad. It has brought much-needed attention to a previously overlooked topic, paving the way for positive change.
Author: Ava Grove, Class of 2026
In the spring semester of my freshman year, my ENGL110 class, taught by Professor Cucciarre, was tasked with writing an essay on any topic of our choosing. Of course, there were some required items to include, but for the most part, we had free reign over what we wrote about. I knew right away, without any doubt, that I would focus my essay on attention deficit hyperactive disorder, or, as it is most commonly known, ADHD. ADHD is no new topic in my life, as I myself have the learning disability, which is the reason I was so drawn to the topic initially. ADHD itself is not a new thing as it affects numerous individuals worldwide as has for quite some time. With the rise of technology and the frequent use of social media in our lives, more light has been shed on this learning disability. In my essay, I discuss the effects, both positive and negative, social media has had on the diagnosis and general understanding of ADHD. With overwhelming points of misinformation, continuous incorrect self diagnoses, and misleading stereotypes, there was an almost overwhelming amount of information, and at some points I wondered how I would fit it all into one, coherent essay. Yet, as I delved further into the research portion of my writing process I learned more than I ever imagined about how social media has affected the understanding and diagnosis of ADHD. Though every factor has pros and cons, it was interesting to see how social media, a platform sometimes associated with maliciousness has proven to be beneficial in the most surprising of ways.
Instructor: Christine Cucciarre
I approach ENGL110 as a space to instill the habits of mind that galvanize the practice of writing. Students do many writing-to-learn assignments to illustrate how writing can help them discover, explore, and uncover things they didn’t know they knew.
For each essay, students turn in three to four drafts and get feedback from each other and me during the process. Peer feedback and understanding how to read and respond to others’ work is as important as the writing itself. Students learn how to read and respond as a reader using the language of constructive feedback and how to tactfully offer a critical assessment of another’s work.
For their final project, the Scholarly Essay, students’ topics were motivated by their reading of Johann Hari’s Stolen Focus. The book offered many entry points to inspire students’ topics. Students then spent more than six weeks preparing, researching, drafting, and revising as they built their arguments, synthesized their sources, and polished their work. Managing the process of a big project and their longest essay prepares students for their future classwork and their future careers.
Works Cited
Beyens, Ine, and Jessica Taylor Piotrowski. “Screen Media Use and ADHD-Related Behaviors: Four Decades of Research.” Edited by David E Meyer, PNAS, 1 Oct. 2018, www.pnas.org/doi/pdf/10.1073/pnas.1611611114. Accessed 15 Apr. 2023.
Hari, Johann. Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention–and How to Think Deeply Again. Crown, 2023.
Privitera, Gregory J, et al. “Randomized Feedback about Diagnosis Influences Statistical and Clinical Significance of Self-Report ADHD Assessment in Adults.” Journal of Attention Disorders, journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1087054712461178. Accessed 15 Apr. 2023.
Rettew, David C. “Discuss ADHD ‘controversy’ with parents.” Pediatric News, vol. 51, no. 2, Feb. 2017. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A483929506/AONE?u=udel_main&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=e37301ad. Accessed 18 Apr. 2023.
Thapa, Pratikshya, et al. “YouTube lens to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a social media analysis.” BMC Research Notes, vol. 11, no. 1, 4 Dec. 2018. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A568608861/AONE?u=udel_main&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=7d5bc2de. Accessed 18 Apr. 2023.
Yeung, Anthony, et al. “TikTok and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Cross-Sectional Study of Social Media Content Quality.” Sage Journals, journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10.1177/07067437221082854. Accessed 15 Apr. 2023.