This oversimplification of ADHD—symptoms as common as sleepiness and feeling unmotivated have been equated with disorder on TikTok—may boost the risk of overdiagnosis and misdiagnoses, the researchers suggest, adding to a growing body of evidence that ADHD is becoming increasingly overdiagnosed in adults.
With any spectrum-based disorder—meaning the type and severity of possible symptoms can vary widely—everything is going to be pretty nuanced, Sasha Hamdan, MD, a board-certified psychiatrist who specializes in ADHD, tells SELF. Some of the symptoms mentioned above aren’t indicative of a health condition until they really start to impact a person’s ability to function in their daily life, Dr. Hamdani explains. For example, many TikTokers claim that trouble with concentration is a tell-tale sign of ADHD—but this is a complex symptom. While it may be one sign of ADHD, it can also potentially point to many other health-related issues, from anxiety or depression to sleep deprivation, says Dr. Gold. On top of that, the pandemic—which deprived many of us of the activities and social interactions that kept us mentally stimulated—has affected nearly everybody’s ability to focus in some way. “Has that brought more people with ADHD to me? Yes. Has that made it more complicated? Yes,” Dr. Gold says. Has every person who thinks they have ADHD left her office with a diagnosis? “No,” she adds.
All that said, some older research suggests that adult ADHD has also gone undiagnosed in millions of people—primarily among marginalized groups—for decades. Black children, for example, are less likely to be diagnosed with ADHD and receive proper treatment; their symptoms are often misattributed to disruptive behavior, says Dr. Gold. There’s also a real gender gap in ADHD diagnoses. Boys typically get diagnosed in middle or high school since their symptoms tend to be more obvious from a young age (think hyperactivity and impulsive behavior). Girls with ADHD, who tend to be more forgetful or disorganized than hyperactive, often aren’t diagnosed until later on in life, studies suggest.
And to many mental health professionals, talking more about ADHD has ultimately been a good thing. It’s motivated people, many of whom may have never pursued or received an ADHD diagnosis, to check in with themselves and advocate for their health. “I want people to become curious about what’s going on in their own brain,” Dr. Hamdami stresses.
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“We should be having more conversations about the spectrum of symptoms in people’s lives and how it affects them,” Dr. Gold agrees, especially in communities that have historically neglected or dismissed mental health conversations—say, due to factors like generational trauma or cultural differences in family structures.
Still, it’s important to take any health information you see on social media with a grain of salt. It can be really tricky, even for professionals, to diagnose ADHD. There is no single test that confirms ADHD in a child or an adult, so it requires some serious detective work and a detailed assessment of your symptoms, Dr. Gold says. Plus, ADHD often goes hand in hand with other mental health conditions, like anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and some personality disorders. You don’t want to miss those if they may be affecting you too, which is one of many reasons it’s crucial to get a diagnosis from an expert rather than an influencer. A doctor can also help you navigate treatment options, which is key: “Some ADHD treatments, if improperly managed, could worsen anxiety that would also then worsen the focus,” says Dr. Hamdani.
So, if you find yourself relating to all the online chatter about ADHD, use that as a jumping-off point. Pay closer attention to the symptoms you’re experiencing and think about writing them down or tracking them in some way if you can. Note what you’re feeling, how often you’re feeling it, and how it’s impacting your everyday life; consider looking into these ADHD resources while you’re at it too. Then, when you reach out to a health care professional—say, your primary care doctor, a licensed mental health professional, or a specialist like a neurologist if you already see one—you’ll come armed with the knowledge of personal reflection, and you can work with your provider to hopefully get the care you need.
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Source: SELF
