ADHD Is Viral On Social Media, Is This Harmful?
There may be more negatives than positives…
ADHD awareness is on the rise throughout social media. This is a good thing right? At first it was nice, it’s great for acceptance and it creates a tool for people to become educated. It also reduces the stigma around neurodivergent individuals, and gives us an online community to be a part of. Like many others, I was happy to finally relate to people on social media.
However, throughout all of the positivity, I began to see some cracks. With the awareness seemed to come the bombardment of everyone and their mother rambling about ADHD. I couldn’t go a minute on social media without ADHD being bought up, and it got to the point where I couldn’t escape it. (I am also aware this is quite ironic, as I write multiple blog posts on ADHD.) Now while this awareness may sound like a good thing (even though a bit overkill), there is unfortunately misinformation being spread at an alarming rate.
One social media platform where information is being spread, is the video-sharing platform, TikTok. As of April 2023, the ADHD hashtag has a whopping 23 billion views. If you use the app, you may have come across videos such as ‘5 signs you have ADHD’, and they’ll list very common things that a lot of us do. For example, difficulty completing boring tasks, or trouble with keeping focus. While these are common traits of ADHD individuals, it can be harmful to spread this information. More and more people are now assuming they have ADHD/other disorders, is this a good thing?
Well, I for one am torn for a concrete answer. On the one hand, this misinformation is giving people the wrong impression of ADHD, and it is almost becoming an adjective for people to seem ‘quirky’. But on the other hand, ADHD individuals have been misunderstood for years. Now it is being spoken about on social media, we are becoming more understood. The online community are being beginning to realise the struggles people face on a daily basis, and the certain stigmas such as ADHD individuals are just ‘lazy’. People are also sharing their experiences, and giving tips for others to manage their symptoms.
Overall, I am extremely grateful that us neurodivergent individuals are finally being heard. However, I am still unsure if ADHD (or other disorders/mental health topics) becoming viral on social media is a good thing.
