ADHD and It's Devastating Links to Social Media

ADHD. This is going to be a longer post, so buckle up. I have a lot to say.

Before we can talk about social media and its impact on ADHD, I feel there’s a certain level of accurate knowledge one must have about ADHD to begin with. So, let’s start there.

ADHD stands for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

ADHD is broken down into 3 different types.

ADHD, combined type, is the most common. This type is characterized by hyperactive and impulsive behaviors along with inattention and distractibility.

ADHD, impulsive/hyperactive type, is the least common type. This type is characterized by hyperactive and impulsive behaviors without inattention and distractibility.

ADHD, inattentive and distractible type, is the third type. It’s characterized by inattention and distractibility without the hyperactivity.

Some common symptoms of ADHD include:

Inattention - difficulty listening to others, easily distracted, forgetfulness, poor organization skills

Impulsivity - interrupts others, takes risks frequently without thinking about the consequences, has difficulty waiting

Hyperactivity - appears to be in constant motion, fidgets, talks excessively, loses or forgets things, inability to stay on task, starting things but never completing them

How is ADHD diagnosed?

ADHD is most commonly diagnosed through neuropsychological testing. Neuropsychological testing is a form of testing done that helps determine how the health and way of thinking in your brain affects a persons every day skills and behaviors. The testing is normally done by a licensed clinical psychologist or a neuropsychologist. In the most thorough testing, the testing done usually takes about 3+ hours and can be followed up with additional forms for you and your family members or close friends to fill out to help determine your experiences now as well as your experiences in childhood.

Personally, I have had neuropsychological testing done, and the process start to finish for me included: 1 hour of pre-interview, 4 hours of testing in person, and 2 hours of follow up forms and additional testing to take on my own.

Testing, in my opinion, should be an essential part of diagnosing ADHD. These same symptoms do often times manifest quite similarly in other illnesses and neuropsych testing is one way to help weed out if ADHD is the actual problem someone is struggling with. Not only this, but other testing and questioning done at the same time can help determine the likelihood of another diagnosis or different possibilities other than or including ADHD.

Some illnesses that have the same symptoms as ADHD:

Bipolar disorder. Autism. Generalized anxiety disorder. CPTSD. Depression. Sensory processing disorder. Sleep disorders. Low blood sugar levels. Vitamin B deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency. Oppositional defiant disorder. Hearing loss. Vision loss. Tourette’s Syndrome. Undetected seizures. Learning disabilities. Depression. Thyroid problems. Lead toxicity. Substance abuse. OCD.

Getting a medical opinion when you suspect ADHD is an important part of getting the right help.

However, I am aware and mindful that not everyone has access to quality healthcare, and because of this I think it’s important to acknowledge that there are other forms of help for ADHD that do not require a medical professional or diagnosis.

Treatment Options for ADHD

ADHD Behavior Therapy is one effective way to help manage ADHD. Though behavior therapy won’t eliminate the symptoms of ADHD, it will help manage the symptoms through the replacement of negative behaviors with more positive ones. One particular type of therapy, CBT (Cognitive Behavorial Therapy) has been extremely effective for adults with ADHD. In CBT, the goal is to change distorted thoughts, such as overgeneralization or all or nothing thinking, to ones that are more realistic and helpful for changing unwanted behaviors or responses. Some examples of ways to help ADHD through therapy: establishing predictability and routines, limiting choices, adopting coping strategies to help eliminate periods of not taking action like reminders, self-regulation of emotions and reactions, and other strategies that help support the ADHD brain rather than trying to change it. Most of these suggestions can be done at home without the help of a medical professional. A number of people without ADHD, but that may suffer from other disorders, have found a lot of benefit from these exercises as well.

Stimulant medication is another option for managing ADHD. Stimulant medications work by boosting dopamine levels in the brain - they usually slow down the reabsorption of dopamine back into the neural networks. Different stimulants work in different ways which accounts for the reasoning behind one stimulant working better than another stimulant in the same individual. Common stimulant used are: Adderrall, Dexedrine, Vyvanse, Ritalin, Focalin, Concerta, and Mydayis.

Non-stimulant medication is a great option for those who are worried about the impact of taking stimulant medications. They tend to not cause some of the side effects of stimulant medications like lack of appetite or agitation and they are longer lasting. Non-stimulant medications also don’t have the same risk of abuse or addiction. Though, to be fully transparent, the risk of becoming addicted or abusing stimulants is incredibly low for anyone who is following their doctors recommendations and dosage. Non-stimulant medications include: Strattera, Kapvay, Intuniv, Wellbutrin, and Symmetrel.

Social media and ADHD

Now that you have some background on what ADHD is….it’s time to discuss some of the most controversial issues surrounding ADHD and social media today.

If you type ADHD into any browser or search on your computer or phone, you’re likely going to find yourself bombarded with ADHD information on social media through ads, but also most popular, reels. I made this mistake, and since then, I have been unable to look at my Instagram account for longer than 5 seconds without a reel or ad of some sort popping into my face about ADHD.

ADHD has become glamorized online in social media in a number of different ways and the impact is not pretty.

The reality is that only 2.8% of the population has ADHD. ADHD is an illness characterized by symptoms that we ALL experience to some degree. The difference between the average person’s experience with a few of these symptoms and someone diagnosed with ADHD is that the diagnosed individuals experience with symptoms is having a major impact on their daily life and ability to function. Most people don’t understand or recognize the distinction between the two and an increasingly large number of people are beginning to self-diagnose or identify with having ADHD when many other factors could be at play instead.

ADHD & misleading content

I personally reviewed 2 studies specific to the information being given out on ADHD and social media.

The first study, TikTok and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Cross-Sectional Study of Social Media Content, analyzed 100 of the top videos on TikTok related to ADHD. First off, ADHD is the 7th most popular topic on the app and there were 4.3 billion views on videos related to ADHD at the time of the study, emphasizing just how much reach and depth this topic has on the platform.

Of the top 100 videos reviewed, a whooping 52% were identified as misleading. Of these videos, symptoms were explained as attributable to only ADHD and none of them suggested or encouraged seeking out a professional diagnosis or meeting with a medical professional.

Of the 100 videos rated, only 21 were considered useful.

The second study, Youtube Lens to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A social media analysis, did a review of a 159 videos from Youtube with search criteria using ADHD language as a way to screen out the most popular and most readily accessible when looking for information regarding ADHD on Youtube. Out of 159 videos, only 8 were rated highly useful and 107 were either not useful or highly misleading. The misleading group contained a significantly higher amount of likes than any other group, which is very concerning.

Additionally, in both studies, videos made by medical professionals or medical affiliated professional groups were the least viewed and had the least engagement.

Overall, studies are beginning to show that the medical content we view every day on social media is not very reliable, and could even be harmful to those who are relying on it for accurate information about their own diagnosis or even possible diagnosis.

The use of demographics to target vulnerable groups

But finally, even worse than misleading videos on the depiction of ADHD, is the shocking harm likely to come from the use of demographics to target vulnerable groups (mainly teenagers and college students) on social media with the use of stimulant medications.

As stated previously, one of the most effective ways to treat ADHD is through the use of behavioral therapy combined with stimulants, but there are risks that come with the use of stimulant medications. These risks should not be taken lightly.

The most at risk group for stimulant misuse is between the ages of 18 to 25, mainly college students who are under extreme pressure to get good grades, have active social lives, and live up to the massive standards placed on them in a world that is constantly changing and gets harder and harder to adjust to.

Knowing the risks associated with the misuse of stimulants, it’s hard to imagine that anyone would be then be targeting this demographic specifically in stimulant ads or information.

Although I’m someone who tries to give others the benefit of the doubt, it’s difficult to assume good intentions when articles like the New York Post article, posted in March of this year, calls attention to the blatant use of TikTok ads to encourage the use of stimulant medications for things like better time management and less anxiety, ads targeted to reach those in a classroom (high school or college) setting.

The ads specifically point out symptoms that could be attributed to a variety of other illnesses and come with a promise that stimulants can help cure these very common and not attributable to only ADHD symptoms. Not shocking, these ads were directly linked to new start-ups that have popped up around the country since the COVID-19 pandemic, promising quick easy access to a physician and a prescription for stimulants, without even having to leave your home to be seen physically by a doctor.

One of the most disturbing thoughts mentioned in the article, is the use of demographics to target specific audiences that range outside the ages of 30-40 year olds, indicating that even with their own social media accounts, it’s unlikely older generations would see or have direct access to the same videos being shown to teenagers and 20 year olds. This ultimately leaves those who are using demographics to target use of stimulant prescription medications open to do or publish what they want with little scrutiny or awareness from those who may be more educated and not as at risk for these gimmicky ads.

When the use of social media for mental health begins to drastically contribute to false information, targeted advertising by drug companies, and much more… social media users are obligated to start speaking up and bringing awareness to the dangers as well.

Don’t get me wrong, I am a fan of more knowledge and more education being more readily available to EVERYONE.

Those who suffer with ADHD deserve to be heard, but social media and it’s spread of information can have the opposite impact when others begin to question the diagnosis, instead of questioning the real culprit - the false information being shared and the people who are sharing it.

When you see something that is wrong or incorrect, please, speak up and encourage others to do the same.

Your voice matters.