The widespread use of TikTok as a go-to source for information about mental health, especially attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), may be confusing rather than enlightening young people. There are worries that the platform is misrepresenting viewers' perceptions of ADHD, according to a recent study from the University of British Columbia (UBC).
When UBC researchers examined the top 100 most-viewed videos on TikTok with the hashtag "ADHD," which together had almost half a billion views, they discovered that less than half of them correctly met accepted clinical standards for diagnosing ADHD. Rather, these movies mostly highlighted subjective viewpoints and personal experiences, frequently ignoring the complexity of ADHD symptoms, which differ greatly from person to person.
Clinical psychologist Vasileia Karasavva, one of the study's researchers, says, "TikTok can definitely raise awareness and help reduce stigma around mental health." "But anecdotes and personal stories without context can spread misunderstandings about ADHD."
Researchers experimented with 843 undergraduate students to see how they viewed these videos. Ten TikTok videos about ADHD were evaluated by the students for perceived educational value; five were judged to be very accurate by clinical psychologists, and five were deemed false. Students' inability to discern between true and inaccurate content was surprising. Students gave relatively small recognition to videos that experts evaluated as highly correct, while they frequently gave more favorable ratings to faulty videos than experts had predicted.
In particular, students gave the five most accurate videos an average rating of 2.8 out of 5, whereas psychologists gave them an average rating of 3.6. On the other hand, students gave the least accurate movies a score of 2.3, while psychologists gave them a mere 1.1. This disparity highlights how readily false information may proliferate on social media platforms and indicates a substantial gap between professional expertise and young people's perspectives.
Researchers caution that false representations of ADHD may have practical repercussions, such as erroneous self-diagnosis, unrealistic expectations for treatment, and even a change in the general public's view of the disorder's prevalence. According to the study, students who were exposed to ADHD content on a regular basis were more willing to spread the word about it and tended to overestimate how common ADHD is in the broader community.
On TikTok, where popularity frequently surpasses accuracy in content creation, the study team highlights the need of expanding expert-generated content. They advise viewers to exercise caution and look for more trustworthy information sources outside of social media.
According to Amori Mikami, a psychology professor at UBC, "some young adults gravitate toward TikTok due to barriers accessing mental health care or prior negative experiences with professionals." In order to guarantee balanced mental health education, she suggests combining TikTok's insights with expert advice and reliable resources, while acknowledging the platform's advantages in reaching younger audiences.