Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Good evening and welcome to another episode of
Nurse Maureen's Health Showpodcast.
I'm Maureen McGrath, aregistered nurse, nurse,
continence advisor, sexualhealth educator.
I'm in clinical practice andI've been educating about health
for a long, long time.
So I really appreciate youtuning in to the podcast and you
know tonight's episode isreally interesting and it has a
(00:25):
multitude of applications.
So I'd like to get going rightaway.
Sharing stories is a powerfulthing, but when they lack
context they can lead tomisunderstandings, especially on
social media.
More and more in my clinicalpractice, when I ask patients
where they heard certain medicalinformation, it's not uncommon
these days that they say I heardit on TikTok.
(00:48):
Well, TikTok is not necessarilythe reliable place for medical
information, whether it be aboutmenopause supplements or,
according to a recent studypublished in PLOS One about ADHD
, attention deficithyperactivity disorder.
The study ADHD, misinformationon TikTok is shaping young
(01:09):
adults' perceptions.
An analysis of the hundred mostviewed TikTok videos related to
ADHD revealed that fewer thanhalf the claims about symptoms
actually align with clinicalguidelines for diagnosing ADHD.
Joining me on the line isVasileia Karasava.
She's a PhD student in clinicalpsychology at the Promoting
(01:30):
Equitable AffirmingRelationships Lab at the
University of British Columbia.
Good evening, vasileia, andthanks so much for joining me.
Hi, maureen, thank you forhaving me.
Oh, it's a pleasure.
I find this so interestingbecause you know, so many people
go to social media, whether itbe Instagram or Facebook or
TikTok, for their medicalinformation.
(01:51):
I don't know if that has to dowith extensive wait lists or
feeling unheard especially womenby their healthcare providers,
but this is not only something.
I suspect that applies to ADHD,attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder, but that's what we'regoing to focus on this evening.
Vesalia, can you summarize thekey findings of this study on
(02:12):
ADHD, misinformation on TikTokand what surprised you the most?
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Yeah.
So the main finding was thatADHD related content on TikTok
is widely popular.
There were millions of viewsand saves and shares and likes,
but at the same time, thatcontent, when just by two
clinical psychologists who have20 years of expertise in
diagnosing and treating ADHD,didn't really line up with the
(02:39):
professional standards standards.
Then we showed some of thesevideos to 800 young adults who
were either self-diagnosed,formally diagnosed or had no
ADHD and we found that having ahigh diet of TikTok content made
participants find it moreaccurate or helpful and also was
(03:02):
associated with them feelingworse about their own ADHD
symptoms and thinking that ADHDis more prevalent in the world
than it actually is.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
And are we seeing a bit of an overdiagnosis?
I sense that a little bit, thatthere's a lot of people, since
the pandemic, have felt likethey have ADHD.
Is it this, as you say, thisdiet of TikTok?
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Look, it's kind of hard to gauge if we were seeing
over-diagnosis or not.
I think you nailed in the headearlier when you said that
getting access to a medicalprofessional in the healthcare
system in Canada it's verydifficult.
To get an ADHD diagnosis, youneed a referral and you usually
need to wait several months andpay thousands of dollars.
What I think our studyscratched at was that people
(03:54):
need support and often socialmedia is the only place they can
access that support, be it witha feeling heard or seen or
understood about the things thatthey're experiencing or getting
some advice about how to managethe symptoms.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Absolutely.
You know I work with one doctorwho says, you know, we'd all
perform 10% better if we went onsome of the medications for
ADHD.
And you know, also inuniversities and colleges across
the country.
You know kids it's well knownthat kids share their
medications for ADHD, theirstimulants.
And then you know patients maythen go to TikTok, for example,
(04:34):
and think, well, I performedbetter using my friend's ADHD
medication.
Perhaps I have ADHD.
What types of misinformationabout ADHD are most commonly
spread on TikTok and are thereany ones?
Any specific myths that aregaining traction?
Speaker 2 (04:52):
That's a really good question.
So a small portion of theclaims better described other
forms of mental illness, likedescribing in great detail binge
eating.
That would better describebinge eating disorder instead of
ADHD.
Another small portion about 6%better described things that we
(05:13):
know are highly associated withADHD but are not diagnosed as a
criteria of ADHD, and thisincludes things like
difficulties in socialrelationships, and I think you
can easily imagine the sort ofperson who is impulsive, says
the first thing that comes tomind, or cuts people off, or
forgets the text of other people.
So someone who experiences ADHDsymptoms also having
(05:35):
difficulties in relationships.
However, this is not adiagnostic criterion for ADHD,
because there are so many otherfactors that are associated with
it, like your temperament oryour personality, or how much
time do you have to invest inyour friendships and your
relationships?
By far the biggest bucket thatwe saw being filtered was things
(05:57):
that are better associated withcommon human experiences.
So having a sweet tooth,getting a song stuck in your
head, like watching reruns of ashow instead of watching a new
show, or bumping into thingsThings are like many people
without ADHD also experience andit's not really related to ADHD
(06:19):
.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
Absolutely.
Those are very common thingsand I think I do about four out
of five of them.
I won't say which ones.
I think I do about four out offive of them, I won't say which
ones?
Speaker 2 (06:34):
I don't do the reruns .
What is the criteria for ADHD?
Well, adhd is aneurodevelopmental disorder, so
a major criteria is that peopleneed to have experiencing some
of these symptoms since theywere young a child, usually
before the age of 12.
Experiencing some of thesesymptoms since they were young a
child, usually before the ageof 12.
Sometimes this can be hard toparse through in assessments, so
you will use things like reportcards to see what teachers
(06:54):
wrote down, or you will ask yourparents to talk to you about
how you were as a child, whichcan be a barrier to many people.
Other core symptoms are thingslike having a difficulty
concentrating, making carelessmistakes like forgetting
appointments, and also thehyperactivity and impulsive side
, so feeling like you're drivenby a motor, having a difficulty
(07:17):
sitting still for a very longtime or being restless.
And, importantly, thosedifficulties have to be
excessive, so more than theaverage person experiences, and
can be distressing to you orcause you some significant
impairment in some importantarea of your life.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Like your job, or in school or in your relationship.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Exactly Well.
Thank you for that.
How is the misinformation onTikTok, for example, shaping
young adults' understanding ofADHD?
Does it lead to moreself-diagnosis, misdiagnosis?
Are people not feeling heard ifthey think I went to TikTok and
TikTok told me I had ADHD, butthen they go to the doctor who
may do a series ofquestionnaires and rule out ADHD
(08:05):
?
How is that affecting youngadults?
Speaker 2 (08:09):
Possibly with all the ways that you described.
In our study we found two.
The first is that people whoconsumed more of that content
also assumed that ADHD would bemore prevalent in the general
population.
So in Canada the prevalence inadults is about 3 to 5%, and our
participants on average saidthat they expected to be about
(08:32):
34%, so one in three, which isquite high.
The second thing we noticed wasthat people who consumed a lot
of those TikToks also felt worseabout their own symptoms, and
that was after we controlled forthings like gender or age or
diagnostic status.
So being formally diagnosed,self-diagnosed, etc.
(08:53):
And what we think might behappening there is similar to
doom scrolling.
So having a generalunderstanding of the news and
the world is incredibly helpful.
Understanding of the news inthe world is incredibly helpful.
However, how helpful is it ifyou spend two hours every night
like constantly refreshing yourfeet to see what did Trump do?
(09:14):
What's the news in all thesewars that are going on in the
world?
This is probably making youfeel a little worse.
So we think that somethingsimilar might be happening here,
where people might be remindeda lot about their own symptoms
and then maybe becomehypervigilant in their own lives
.
So a lot of the TikToks that wesaw reminded people that people
(09:36):
with ADHD make a lot of smallmistakes.
So if you consume a lot of thiscontent, you might think about
your own mistakes more andperhaps you might notice when
you make some of those mistakesand forget about them harder.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
Wow, that is so interesting.
You know why do you think thatADHD content is so popular on
TikTok?
You mentioned that at thebeginning of the show.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
I think people need support.
I think people are struggling,and ADHD is just so happened to
kind of describe a lot of thethings that people are
struggling with at school orwork.
So like difficultyconcentrating, needing to spend
hours upon hours in front of acomputer, either at school or
for your job, doing menial tasks.
And also most of the TikTokcreators that we found were very
(10:25):
good at their job.
They were very entertaining.
Most of these videos were alsocute or quirky, very relatable
in expressing their ownexperiences.
So I think people are watchingthem.
They are entertained.
They also realize that they arestruggling with something and
here is an answer to theirstruggles.
(10:45):
So no wonder they want toconsume more of that content.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
Oh, and of course algorithm right.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
You can't avoid the algorithm, Like, if you spend a
little bit of time on this typeof content, it will show you
more of that content.
The algorithm doesn't care foryou to be well-informed or feel
good about yourself.
It's a curse that you spend asmuch time as possible on the app
.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
Right, exactly.
I mean, I certainly get sentcertain medical subjects that I
deal a lot with in my clinicalpractice, a lot of women's
health issues.
Also, I think that short formvideo format I think social
media has created a shorterattention span for all of us has
(11:29):
created a shorter attentionspan for all of us.
That may also contribute aswell, and there is an addictive
component to social media aswell, so it's important that
people aren't scrolling forhours in the day.
How do creators with ADHD yousaid they're really good at it
how about those that actuallyhave ADHD influence the
conversation?
Are they helping to spreadaccurate information or is there
(11:50):
a risk of personal experiencesbeing mistaken for universal
ADHD traits?
Speaker 2 (11:57):
I think it's a mixed bag.
It's incredibly powerful tohear other people share
experiences that you also haveand feel less alone and make you
know, find community in theworld.
Um, and let's not forget thatthe world is created for
neurotypical people, right,people?
You know, people on the autismspectrum do struggle more with a
(12:18):
lot of the structures that wehave in our society.
Um, at the same time, um, like,not two people are going to
experience it each the same way,so a lot of are going to
experience ADHD the same way.
So a lot of the content that wefound was very idiosyncratic,
based on the creator's personalexperience.
So when it's presented in amore generic way that if you
(12:41):
experience this, then you haveADHD, well, I think that's kind
of a problem, especially whensome of those things could be
attributed to other forms ofmental illness or just part of
the human experience.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
You know, with all this misinformation shaping
perceptions, I know in ourclinical practice and I just
want to say in ours and that maybe the type of GPs that I work
with and that may be the type ofGPs that I work with we have
seen an increase in peopleseeking ADHD evaluations and I
imagine that would be the resultof TikTok.
Do you think TikTok has helpedraise awareness about ADHD in
(13:20):
any positive ways, or ismisinformation overshadowing its
benefits?
Speaker 2 (13:23):
It definitely has helped a lot of people figure
out their own situation.
Historically, for many, adhdwasn't something that mostly
hyperactive white boysexperience, and both in the
healthcare system, but, like inpeople in their everyday lives,
people of color or women wereoften missed or mistaken.
(13:45):
Of color or women were oftenmissed or mistaken.
So I'm not blaming um peoplefor mistrusting a little bit the
healthcare system or feelinginvalidated or like they're not
going to be hurt because thishas happened historically.
I'd like to think that theresearch has moved forward a lot
and that the perspectives ofpeople who don't fit this very
(14:06):
specific mode are being heardmore Like.
For example, in our lab, mysupervisor, dr Morimi Kami, is
doing a lot of work on theexperiences of Asian Canadians
in accessing support for ADHD,and so in many ways, social
media has democratized thisinformation and I can't downplay
(14:29):
the huge benefits of that.
And the other thing is, I wouldlike to encourage listeners who
might be wondering if they haveADHD.
Is that you might be right.
I think it's a great idea to gocheck it with your doctor or
with a therapist.
A great idea to go check itwith your doctor or with a
therapist, but at the same time.
If you don't meet thediagnostic criteria of ADHD,
(14:55):
that doesn't mean that you werewrong in identifying in yourself
that you would benefit fromsupport or that there is
something that you're struggling.
It's not like that treatmentmagically starts working when
you meet the very specificdiagnostic criteria and you
wouldn't work before that.
I think, maureen, you made agreat example earlier about that
physician that you work with,right, that we all yes a little
(15:16):
bit, uh.
So it's still something that youcan work with your therapist or
with your doctor, uh, to tacklesome of the difficulties,
perhaps with concentration oranything else that you
experience.
You don't have to have an ADHDdiagnosis to deserve support.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
That's a great point and you're so correct because,
especially in the world today,you know there are so many other
influencing factors that cancontribute to lack of attention
or not having energy or notbeing productive or having
impact on relationships and work.
You know things like substanceuse and abuse or anxiety or
(15:56):
other mental health disorders aswell.
You know I often say aboutsocial media that the doctors
are becoming influencers and theinfluencers are becoming
doctors.
At least, that's what myperception of the public
perception is.
What role do healthcareprofessionals and educators play
in correcting ADHDmisinformation, and should they
(16:18):
be more active on platforms likeTikTok to provide accurate
information?
Speaker 2 (16:23):
Look, we tried to make a TikTok or like a short
video to show our participantsexplaining some of the downsides
of those TikToks.
We quickly realized we're notvery good at this.
We're not as funny or asinteresting as are relatable
with all these creators.
So I say leave it to theprofessionals.
(16:44):
It could be very helpful formore healthcare workers who are
more extroverted or who likedoing this kind of stuff to be
on social media.
That would be awesome.
It would also be great ifcontent creators consulted with
healthcare workers perhaps moreto vet or peer review their
content.
Those are all great solutions,but they're on the individual
(17:08):
level and what I think we'resaying is systemic issues of
people being denied thehealthcare that they need and
then the only thing that theyhave accessible is social media
and that's where they turn to.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Absolutely.
You know there are so many waysthat we can improve the health
care system, especially in thiscountry.
You know, saving money, makingit more efficient.
You know, I heard about aparticular program where today,
where they go into homes if aperson is incontinent and this
doesn't have anything to do withADHD, they will get, and
(17:47):
they're older and they needsupport They'll actually have a
healthcare worker come in twicea week.
They'll qualify for that.
Well, why don't we fix theincontinence and then you don't
have to have somebody.
If they're not incontinent,they have somebody go in once a
week.
You know that's a lot of labor,a lot of hours and we're not
getting to the root of theproblem.
So I mean, there are so manywait lists for unnecessary
reasons, and I think it appliesto ADHD as well.
(18:08):
How can young adultsdistinguish between credible
ADHD content and misinformationon TikTok?
Are there any red flags?
Speaker 2 (18:18):
The biggest red flag we found was how confident the
content creators were.
The content creators were, sothe bolder the claims and the
more sure they are about them,the more I would question them,
just because ADHD is quite anuanced and complicated
neurodevelopmental disorder andit does show up differently on
different people.
(18:38):
So when you have a contentcreator being extremely
confident that if you experiencethis sort of behavior, then you
definitely have ADHD, I willquestion that.
The second question is peopletrying to sell me something?
About one in two of the contentcreators that we assessed were
(18:58):
also selling things oftenrelated to ADHD, like
supplements or here is aworkbook on how to decorate your
house to make it ADHD friendlyor counselling sessions, but
without actually being trainedclinicians or psychiatrists, and
so a lot of these treatmentsthat were offered were not
(19:21):
really backed up by research orscience.
So I will question people'sbottom line and if they have
finance and incentives to makebold and interesting claims
about ADHD.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
Absolutely.
I think that's the biggest redflag is that they're trying to
sell something, and I'msurprised it's only one in two.
I thought it was 100%.
The other red flag that I seeanyway is and I don't know if
you see this about ADHD but theysay the guidelines are outdated
.
Science hasn't caught up to us.
You know, typically theguidelines are not outdated, but
I think that's also another redflag, and these people who say
(19:57):
that the guidelines are outdatedwhether it be diagnosing ADHD
or treatment of ADHD likely aretrying to sell you something, or
maybe they're trying to lureyou in and eventually want to
sell you something.
I see that with a lot of women'shealth, in particular,
menopause, perimenopause andpostmenopause.
You know people trying to sell,whether it be a program or a
product or supplements.
(20:18):
You know so, and definitelythere is an association between
these.
You know fantastical claims aswell, so that's very interesting
.
What do you think is the roadforward?
What needs to be done whetherby researchers, clinicians,
social media platforms to ensurethat people get accurate and
helpful information about ADHD?
Speaker 2 (20:40):
I would hope there's more psychoeducation on the fact
that people like mental illnessis a spectrum we all fall
somewhere on it fact that peoplelike mental illness is a
spectrum we all fall somewhereon it on every form of mental
illness, and that if youstruggle anywhere on the
spectrum you deserve help andit's not like an all or nothing
situation where the moment thatyou meet the diagnostic criteria
(21:00):
you should get help andeveryone else should just figure
things out on their own.
That's a huge part.
Of course, I recognize it'skind of a catch-22 because a lot
of insurance companies requirea formal diagnosis in order to
get access to a therapist ormedication.
So I would like to see changethere honestly, yeah, that's a
great idea.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
Vasilija, thank you so much for joining the program
and talking about thisincredibly important subject.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
Thank you, Marie.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
Funk for having me.
My guest was Vasilea Karasaba.
She's a PhD student in clinicalpsychology at the Promoting
Equitable AffirmingRelationships Lab at the
University of British Columbiaand she was the lead author on
the study ADHD Misinformation onTikTok is Shaping Young Adults
adults' perceptions A veryimportant study.
(21:48):
And I'm Maureen McGrath and ifyou feel that this episode would
help anybody, feel free toshare.
If you have any questions atall, you can email me
nursetalkathotmailcom or you cantext the show 604-765-9287.
Thank you so much for tuning in.
I'm Maureen McGrath, registerednurse, nurse, continence
(22:10):
advisor, sexual health educator,and you have been listening to
Nurse Maureen's Health Showpodcast.
Thanks so much for tuning in.
I'm Maureen McGrath and youhave been listening to the
Sunday Night Health Show podcast.
If you want to hear thispodcast or any other segment
again, feel free to go to iTunes, spotify or Google Play or
wherever you listen to yourfavorite podcasts.
You can always email menursetalk at hotmailcom or text
(22:33):
the show 604-765-9287.
That's 604-765-9287.
Or head on over to my websitefor more information.
Maureenmcgrathcom.
It's been my pleasure to spendthis time with you.
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Good evening and welcome to another episode of
Nurse Maureen's Health Showpodcast.
I'm Maureen McGrath, aregistered nurse, nurse,
continence advisor, sexualhealth educator.
I'm in clinical practice andI've been educating about health
for a long, long time.
So I really appreciate youtuning in to the podcast and you
know tonight's episode isreally interesting and it has a
(00:25):
multitude of applications.
So I'd like to get going rightaway.
Sharing stories is a powerfulthing, but when they lack
context they can lead tomisunderstandings, especially on
social media.
More and more in my clinicalpractice, when I ask patients
where they heard certain medicalinformation, it's not uncommon
these days that they say I heardit on TikTok.
(00:48):
Well, TikTok is not necessarilythe reliable place for medical
information, whether it be aboutmenopause supplements or,
according to a recent studypublished in PLOS One about ADHD
, attention deficithyperactivity disorder.
The study ADHD, misinformationon TikTok is shaping young
(01:09):
adults' perceptions.
An analysis of the hundred mostviewed TikTok videos related to
ADHD revealed that fewer thanhalf the claims about symptoms
actually align with clinicalguidelines for diagnosing ADHD.
Joining me on the line isVasileia Karasava.
She's a PhD student in clinicalpsychology at the Promoting
(01:30):
Equitable AffirmingRelationships Lab at the
University of British Columbia.
Good evening, vasileia, andthanks so much for joining me.
Hi, maureen, thank you forhaving me.
Oh, it's a pleasure.
I find this so interestingbecause you know, so many people
go to social media, whether itbe Instagram or Facebook or
TikTok, for their medicalinformation.
(01:51):
I don't know if that has to dowith extensive wait lists or
feeling unheard especially womenby their healthcare providers,
but this is not only something.
I suspect that applies to ADHD,attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder, but that's what we'regoing to focus on this evening.
Vesalia, can you summarize thekey findings of this study on
(02:12):
ADHD, misinformation on TikTokand what surprised you the most?
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Yeah.
So the main finding was thatADHD related content on TikTok
is widely popular.
There were millions of viewsand saves and shares and likes,
but at the same time, thatcontent, when just by two
clinical psychologists who have20 years of expertise in
diagnosing and treating ADHD,didn't really line up with the
(02:39):
professional standards standards.
Then we showed some of thesevideos to 800 young adults who
were either self-diagnosed,formally diagnosed or had no
ADHD and we found that having ahigh diet of TikTok content made
participants find it moreaccurate or helpful and also was
(03:02):
associated with them feelingworse about their own ADHD
symptoms and thinking that ADHDis more prevalent in the world
than it actually is.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
And are we seeing a bit of an overdiagnosis?
I sense that a little bit, thatthere's a lot of people, since
the pandemic, have felt likethey have ADHD.
Is it this, as you say, thisdiet of TikTok?
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Look, it's kind of hard to gauge if we were seeing
over-diagnosis or not.
I think you nailed in the headearlier when you said that
getting access to a medicalprofessional in the healthcare
system in Canada it's verydifficult.
To get an ADHD diagnosis, youneed a referral and you usually
need to wait several months andpay thousands of dollars.
What I think our studyscratched at was that people
(03:54):
need support and often socialmedia is the only place they can
access that support, be it witha feeling heard or seen or
understood about the things thatthey're experiencing or getting
some advice about how to managethe symptoms.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Absolutely.
You know I work with one doctorwho says, you know, we'd all
perform 10% better if we went onsome of the medications for
ADHD.
And you know, also inuniversities and colleges across
the country.
You know kids it's well knownthat kids share their
medications for ADHD, theirstimulants.
And then you know patients maythen go to TikTok, for example,
(04:34):
and think, well, I performedbetter using my friend's ADHD
medication.
Perhaps I have ADHD.
What types of misinformationabout ADHD are most commonly
spread on TikTok and are thereany ones?
Any specific myths that aregaining traction?
Speaker 2 (04:52):
That's a really good question.
So a small portion of theclaims better described other
forms of mental illness, likedescribing in great detail binge
eating.
That would better describebinge eating disorder instead of
ADHD.
Another small portion about 6%better described things that we
(05:13):
know are highly associated withADHD but are not diagnosed as a
criteria of ADHD, and thisincludes things like
difficulties in socialrelationships, and I think you
can easily imagine the sort ofperson who is impulsive, says
the first thing that comes tomind, or cuts people off, or
forgets the text of other people.
So someone who experiences ADHDsymptoms also having
(05:35):
difficulties in relationships.
However, this is not adiagnostic criterion for ADHD,
because there are so many otherfactors that are associated with
it, like your temperament oryour personality, or how much
time do you have to invest inyour friendships and your
relationships?
By far the biggest bucket thatwe saw being filtered was things
(05:57):
that are better associated withcommon human experiences.
So having a sweet tooth,getting a song stuck in your
head, like watching reruns of ashow instead of watching a new
show, or bumping into thingsThings are like many people
without ADHD also experience andit's not really related to ADHD
(06:19):
.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
Absolutely.
Those are very common thingsand I think I do about four out
of five of them.
I won't say which ones.
I think I do about four out offive of them, I won't say which
ones?
Speaker 2 (06:34):
I don't do the reruns .
What is the criteria for ADHD?
Well, adhd is aneurodevelopmental disorder, so
a major criteria is that peopleneed to have experiencing some
of these symptoms since theywere young a child, usually
before the age of 12.
Experiencing some of thesesymptoms since they were young a
child, usually before the ageof 12.
Sometimes this can be hard toparse through in assessments, so
you will use things like reportcards to see what teachers
(06:54):
wrote down, or you will ask yourparents to talk to you about
how you were as a child, whichcan be a barrier to many people.
Other core symptoms are thingslike having a difficulty
concentrating, making carelessmistakes like forgetting
appointments, and also thehyperactivity and impulsive side
, so feeling like you're drivenby a motor, having a difficulty
(07:17):
sitting still for a very longtime or being restless.
And, importantly, thosedifficulties have to be
excessive, so more than theaverage person experiences, and
can be distressing to you orcause you some significant
impairment in some importantarea of your life.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Like your job, or in school or in your relationship.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Exactly Well.
Thank you for that.
How is the misinformation onTikTok, for example, shaping
young adults' understanding ofADHD?
Does it lead to moreself-diagnosis, misdiagnosis?
Are people not feeling heard ifthey think I went to TikTok and
TikTok told me I had ADHD, butthen they go to the doctor who
may do a series ofquestionnaires and rule out ADHD
(08:05):
?
How is that affecting youngadults?
Speaker 2 (08:09):
Possibly with all the ways that you described.
In our study we found two.
The first is that people whoconsumed more of that content
also assumed that ADHD would bemore prevalent in the general
population.
So in Canada the prevalence inadults is about 3 to 5%, and our
participants on average saidthat they expected to be about
(08:32):
34%, so one in three, which isquite high.
The second thing we noticed wasthat people who consumed a lot
of those TikToks also felt worseabout their own symptoms, and
that was after we controlled forthings like gender or age or
diagnostic status.
So being formally diagnosed,self-diagnosed, etc.
(08:53):
And what we think might behappening there is similar to
doom scrolling.
So having a generalunderstanding of the news and
the world is incredibly helpful.
Understanding of the news inthe world is incredibly helpful.
However, how helpful is it ifyou spend two hours every night
like constantly refreshing yourfeet to see what did Trump do?
(09:14):
What's the news in all thesewars that are going on in the
world?
This is probably making youfeel a little worse.
So we think that somethingsimilar might be happening here,
where people might be remindeda lot about their own symptoms
and then maybe becomehypervigilant in their own lives
.
So a lot of the TikToks that wesaw reminded people that people
(09:36):
with ADHD make a lot of smallmistakes.
So if you consume a lot of thiscontent, you might think about
your own mistakes more andperhaps you might notice when
you make some of those mistakesand forget about them harder.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
Wow, that is so interesting.
You know why do you think thatADHD content is so popular on
TikTok?
You mentioned that at thebeginning of the show.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
I think people need support.
I think people are struggling,and ADHD is just so happened to
kind of describe a lot of thethings that people are
struggling with at school orwork.
So like difficultyconcentrating, needing to spend
hours upon hours in front of acomputer, either at school or
for your job, doing menial tasks.
And also most of the TikTokcreators that we found were very
(10:25):
good at their job.
They were very entertaining.
Most of these videos were alsocute or quirky, very relatable
in expressing their ownexperiences.
So I think people are watchingthem.
They are entertained.
They also realize that they arestruggling with something and
here is an answer to theirstruggles.
(10:45):
So no wonder they want toconsume more of that content.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
Oh, and of course algorithm right.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
You can't avoid the algorithm, Like, if you spend a
little bit of time on this typeof content, it will show you
more of that content.
The algorithm doesn't care foryou to be well-informed or feel
good about yourself.
It's a curse that you spend asmuch time as possible on the app
.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
Right, exactly.
I mean, I certainly get sentcertain medical subjects that I
deal a lot with in my clinicalpractice, a lot of women's
health issues.
Also, I think that short formvideo format I think social
media has created a shorterattention span for all of us has
(11:29):
created a shorter attentionspan for all of us.
That may also contribute aswell, and there is an addictive
component to social media aswell, so it's important that
people aren't scrolling forhours in the day.
How do creators with ADHD yousaid they're really good at it
how about those that actuallyhave ADHD influence the
conversation?
Are they helping to spreadaccurate information or is there
(11:50):
a risk of personal experiencesbeing mistaken for universal
ADHD traits?
Speaker 2 (11:57):
I think it's a mixed bag.
It's incredibly powerful tohear other people share
experiences that you also haveand feel less alone and make you
know, find community in theworld.
Um, and let's not forget thatthe world is created for
neurotypical people, right,people?
You know, people on the autismspectrum do struggle more with a
(12:18):
lot of the structures that wehave in our society.
Um, at the same time, um, like,not two people are going to
experience it each the same way,so a lot of are going to
experience ADHD the same way.
So a lot of the content that wefound was very idiosyncratic,
based on the creator's personalexperience.
So when it's presented in amore generic way that if you
(12:41):
experience this, then you haveADHD, well, I think that's kind
of a problem, especially whensome of those things could be
attributed to other forms ofmental illness or just part of
the human experience.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
You know, with all this misinformation shaping
perceptions, I know in ourclinical practice and I just
want to say in ours and that maybe the type of GPs that I work
with and that may be the type ofGPs that I work with we have
seen an increase in peopleseeking ADHD evaluations and I
imagine that would be the resultof TikTok.
Do you think TikTok has helpedraise awareness about ADHD in
(13:20):
any positive ways, or ismisinformation overshadowing its
benefits?
Speaker 2 (13:23):
It definitely has helped a lot of people figure
out their own situation.
Historically, for many, adhdwasn't something that mostly
hyperactive white boysexperience, and both in the
healthcare system, but, like inpeople in their everyday lives,
people of color or women wereoften missed or mistaken.
(13:45):
Of color or women were oftenmissed or mistaken.
So I'm not blaming um peoplefor mistrusting a little bit the
healthcare system or feelinginvalidated or like they're not
going to be hurt because thishas happened historically.
I'd like to think that theresearch has moved forward a lot
and that the perspectives ofpeople who don't fit this very
(14:06):
specific mode are being heardmore Like.
For example, in our lab, mysupervisor, dr Morimi Kami, is
doing a lot of work on theexperiences of Asian Canadians
in accessing support for ADHD,and so in many ways, social
media has democratized thisinformation and I can't downplay
(14:29):
the huge benefits of that.
And the other thing is, I wouldlike to encourage listeners who
might be wondering if they haveADHD.
Is that you might be right.
I think it's a great idea to gocheck it with your doctor or
with a therapist.
A great idea to go check itwith your doctor or with a
therapist, but at the same time.
If you don't meet thediagnostic criteria of ADHD,
(14:55):
that doesn't mean that you werewrong in identifying in yourself
that you would benefit fromsupport or that there is
something that you're struggling.
It's not like that treatmentmagically starts working when
you meet the very specificdiagnostic criteria and you
wouldn't work before that.
I think, maureen, you made agreat example earlier about that
physician that you work with,right, that we all yes a little
(15:16):
bit, uh.
So it's still something that youcan work with your therapist or
with your doctor, uh, to tacklesome of the difficulties,
perhaps with concentration oranything else that you
experience.
You don't have to have an ADHDdiagnosis to deserve support.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
That's a great point and you're so correct because,
especially in the world today,you know there are so many other
influencing factors that cancontribute to lack of attention
or not having energy or notbeing productive or having
impact on relationships and work.
You know things like substanceuse and abuse or anxiety or
(15:56):
other mental health disorders aswell.
You know I often say aboutsocial media that the doctors
are becoming influencers and theinfluencers are becoming
doctors.
At least, that's what myperception of the public
perception is.
What role do healthcareprofessionals and educators play
in correcting ADHDmisinformation, and should they
(16:18):
be more active on platforms likeTikTok to provide accurate
information?
Speaker 2 (16:23):
Look, we tried to make a TikTok or like a short
video to show our participantsexplaining some of the downsides
of those TikToks.
We quickly realized we're notvery good at this.
We're not as funny or asinteresting as are relatable
with all these creators.
So I say leave it to theprofessionals.
(16:44):
It could be very helpful formore healthcare workers who are
more extroverted or who likedoing this kind of stuff to be
on social media.
That would be awesome.
It would also be great ifcontent creators consulted with
healthcare workers perhaps moreto vet or peer review their
content.
Those are all great solutions,but they're on the individual
(17:08):
level and what I think we'resaying is systemic issues of
people being denied thehealthcare that they need and
then the only thing that theyhave accessible is social media
and that's where they turn to.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Absolutely.
You know there are so many waysthat we can improve the health
care system, especially in thiscountry.
You know, saving money, makingit more efficient.
You know, I heard about aparticular program where today,
where they go into homes if aperson is incontinent and this
doesn't have anything to do withADHD, they will get, and
(17:47):
they're older and they needsupport They'll actually have a
healthcare worker come in twicea week.
They'll qualify for that.
Well, why don't we fix theincontinence and then you don't
have to have somebody.
If they're not incontinent,they have somebody go in once a
week.
You know that's a lot of labor,a lot of hours and we're not
getting to the root of theproblem.
So I mean, there are so manywait lists for unnecessary
reasons, and I think it appliesto ADHD as well.
(18:08):
How can young adultsdistinguish between credible
ADHD content and misinformationon TikTok?
Are there any red flags?
Speaker 2 (18:18):
The biggest red flag we found was how confident the
content creators were.
The content creators were, sothe bolder the claims and the
more sure they are about them,the more I would question them,
just because ADHD is quite anuanced and complicated
neurodevelopmental disorder andit does show up differently on
different people.
(18:38):
So when you have a contentcreator being extremely
confident that if you experiencethis sort of behavior, then you
definitely have ADHD, I willquestion that.
The second question is peopletrying to sell me something?
About one in two of the contentcreators that we assessed were
(18:58):
also selling things oftenrelated to ADHD, like
supplements or here is aworkbook on how to decorate your
house to make it ADHD friendlyor counselling sessions, but
without actually being trainedclinicians or psychiatrists, and
so a lot of these treatmentsthat were offered were not
(19:21):
really backed up by research orscience.
So I will question people'sbottom line and if they have
finance and incentives to makebold and interesting claims
about ADHD.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
Absolutely.
I think that's the biggest redflag is that they're trying to
sell something, and I'msurprised it's only one in two.
I thought it was 100%.
The other red flag that I seeanyway is and I don't know if
you see this about ADHD but theysay the guidelines are outdated
.
Science hasn't caught up to us.
You know, typically theguidelines are not outdated, but
I think that's also another redflag, and these people who say
(19:57):
that the guidelines are outdatedwhether it be diagnosing ADHD
or treatment of ADHD likely aretrying to sell you something, or
maybe they're trying to lureyou in and eventually want to
sell you something.
I see that with a lot of women'shealth, in particular,
menopause, perimenopause andpostmenopause.
You know people trying to sell,whether it be a program or a
product or supplements.
(20:18):
You know so, and definitelythere is an association between
these.
You know fantastical claims aswell, so that's very interesting
.
What do you think is the roadforward?
What needs to be done whetherby researchers, clinicians,
social media platforms to ensurethat people get accurate and
helpful information about ADHD?
Speaker 2 (20:40):
I would hope there's more psychoeducation on the fact
that people like mental illnessis a spectrum we all fall
somewhere on it fact that peoplelike mental illness is a
spectrum we all fall somewhereon it on every form of mental
illness, and that if youstruggle anywhere on the
spectrum you deserve help andit's not like an all or nothing
situation where the moment thatyou meet the diagnostic criteria
(21:00):
you should get help andeveryone else should just figure
things out on their own.
That's a huge part.
Of course, I recognize it'skind of a catch-22 because a lot
of insurance companies requirea formal diagnosis in order to
get access to a therapist ormedication.
So I would like to see changethere honestly, yeah, that's a
great idea.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
Vasilija, thank you so much for joining the program
and talking about thisincredibly important subject.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
Thank you, Marie.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
Funk for having me.
My guest was Vasilea Karasaba.
She's a PhD student in clinicalpsychology at the Promoting
Equitable AffirmingRelationships Lab at the
University of British Columbiaand she was the lead author on
the study ADHD Misinformation onTikTok is Shaping Young Adults
adults' perceptions A veryimportant study.
(21:48):
And I'm Maureen McGrath and ifyou feel that this episode would
help anybody, feel free toshare.
If you have any questions atall, you can email me
nursetalkathotmailcom or you cantext the show 604-765-9287.
Thank you so much for tuning in.
I'm Maureen McGrath, registerednurse, nurse, continence
(22:10):
advisor, sexual health educator,and you have been listening to
Nurse Maureen's Health Showpodcast.
Thanks so much for tuning in.
I'm Maureen McGrath and youhave been listening to the
Sunday Night Health Show podcast.
If you want to hear thispodcast or any other segment
again, feel free to go to iTunes, spotify or Google Play or
wherever you listen to yourfavorite podcasts.
You can always email menursetalk at hotmailcom or text
(22:33):
the show 604-765-9287.
That's 604-765-9287.
Or head on over to my websitefor more information.
Maureenmcgrathcom.
It's been my pleasure to spendthis time with you.
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