April 21, 2025 • 16 mins
Ever watch a TikTok and think omg ME!
You're not alone... and when it comes to self-diagnosis ADHD, the countless videos on the app would have us believe we're all living with the condition.
But how much truth is there to it? And how much of our self diagnosis is actually accurate?
And in headlines today Pope Francis suffered a stroke before slipping into a coma and experiencing cardio circulatory collapse, the 88 year old passing away on Easter Monday; Early polling stations open cross the country today as millions of Aussies prepare to cast their votes before May 3; Donald Trump is standing behind Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth after reports he shared classified information in a second group chat; Foo Fighters front man Dave Grohl has made a surprise appearance at Coachella, performing with the LA Philharmonic Orchestra
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CREDITS
Hosts: Taylah Strano & Claire Murphy
Guests: Vasileia Karasavva, PhD student, Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia
Executive Producer: Taylah Strano
Audio Producer: Lu Hill
Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
So you're listening to a Muma Mea podcast. Mumma Mea
acknowledges the traditional owners of land and waters that this
podcast is recorded on.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Hey, I'm Taylor Strano. This is Mumma MIA's twice daily
news podcast, The Quickie. Okay, I'll be the first to
admit I use TikTok a little bit like I use Google,
taking my big questions to the app only to return
answers I maybe did not bargain for. And it turns
out quite a few of you are actually guilty of
this too. One of the most common case studies is
self diagnosis with ADHD of the back of hours of scrolling.
(00:46):
But just how many of us are actually neurodivergent and
how many of us have just spent way too much
time online Before we get there, Here's Claire Murphy with
the latest from the Quickie newsroom for Tuesday, April twenty two.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
Thanks Taylor. The cause of death for eighty eight year
old Pope Francis has been revealed. One day after the
pontiff passed away, the Vatican release the details of Pope
Francis's health in the lead up to his day, explaining
that he suffered a cerebral stroke before slipping into a coma.
He then experienced irreversible cardio circulatory collapse. The Pope had
(01:19):
been struggling with his health in recent years, including a
recent battle with acute respiratory failure and pneumonia that saw
him hospitalize for nearly forty days on top of his
hypertension and type two diabetes. Pope Francis, who was the
first pope from the Southern Hemisphere and the first from
the Americas, born in Argentina to Italian migrants, was known
(01:39):
to be a progressive pontiff, coming into the position as
the Catholic Church was experiencing allegations of sexual abuse by
its clergy, as well as there being reports of corruption
and infighting at the Vatican itself. Pope Francis tasking himself
with apologizing to those affected and attempting to clear out
the corruption. Instead of writing in expensive cars and living
(02:00):
in luxurious homes, Pope Francis chose to live in a
simple apartment and shunned the papal limousine, his security team
often having to scramble as he spent time with people
in their homes. He was a vocal supporter of those
working to combat climate change. He elevated women in the church,
but stopped short of allowing them to be ordained. He
was also more open to the LGBTQAA plus community. Asked
(02:23):
what he thought about the sexual orientation of priests, he said,
if someone is gay and he searches for the Lord
and has goodwill, who am I to judge. He declared
being homosexual isn't a crime and made a landmark ruling
that Catholic priests could bless same sex couples, but last
year he also apologized for using a homophobic slur while
discussing the church's ban on gay priests. He also condemned
(02:47):
the use of birth control, abortion and IVF, saying they
violate natural law, calling for a ban on surrogate motherhood,
saying it was deplorable. Prime Minister Anthony Albernizi released a
statement saying Pope Francis passionately decried views and actions contrary
to human dignity and flourishing. Australia's Cardinal Mikilbaichok, who was
born in Ukraine and served in Melbourne, is the youngest
(03:10):
of the cardinals at age forty five, who will now
vote to select the next Pope. He spoke after his death,
saying he was grateful for the late Holy Father's frequent
appeals for a just peace in Ukraine and for the
efforts of the Holy See that he oversaw, known and secret,
that in some way helped bring relief to the imprisoned
and suffering. National flags on federal government buildings across Australia
(03:33):
or flight half mass today as a mark of respect,
while parishes around the country are expected to hold special
memorial masses for the late Pope this week. Soccer games
in Argentina, where the Pope was born, and in Italy
were postponed after his death, as the sport paid their
respects to the man who was an avid fan of
the game. Francis a member of his beloved Buenos Aire's
(03:54):
club San Lorenzo. When the games resume this week, they
will be preceded by a minute of silence for the
players and fans to mourn. Early polling stations open across
the country today as millions of ossies choose to cast
their ballots before the big day rather than line up
for their opportunity to choose who'll lead the nation. We
are now just eleven days away from the May three election,
(04:15):
but with so many public holidays in the lead up
and school holidays in the mix, the major parties have
chosen to bring forward their official launchers this time around,
doing them much earlier than usual during a five week
election schedule. With more than five and a half million
Australians choosing to vote early in the twenty twenty two election,
it has upended how politicians campaign, knowing that if they
(04:36):
have something to say, it must be done early enough
to make an impact on those who will vote early
and then tune out for the rest of the run
up to election day. President Trump is standing by his
Secretary of Defense despite reports Pete Hegseth has again shared
classified information in a group chat. This one included his relatives.
Hegseth has been accused of using the social media platform
(04:58):
Signal to send a group chat message about the March
attack on Yemen's Iran aligned hooties. This chat included around
twelve people, including his wife, brother, and private lawyer. The
chat was originally created during his confirmation process to discuss
administrative issues, not detailed military planning. Heg Seth revealed classified
information in another group chat that included a journalist from
(05:21):
the Atlantic last month, a White House spokesperson said President
Trump stands strongly behind Secretary Hegseth, who's doing a phenomenal
job leading the Pentagon, saying this is what happens when
the entire Pentagon is working against you and working against
the monumental change you're trying to implement. Food Fighters frontman
Dave Grohl has made a surprise appearance at Coachella. Grohl
(05:43):
performed two tracks with the La Philharmonic Orchestra, playing the
World as a Neighborhood and ever Long for the Crowd.
The orchestra's set also included a performance from Cynthia Arrivo,
who sang Prince's classic Purple Rain, and Natasha Bettingfield, who
performed her classic two thousand and four hit Unwritten. The
set finished with ll Cooljay doing a medley of his hits.
(06:04):
The second week of the festival has seen Canadian DJ
and producer Dead Mouse apology to fans after his set
was cut short due to his on stage drinking. He
later said he was so drunk he doesn't remember a
thing about the performance.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Thanks Claire. Next, why everyone on your for you page
suddenly has adhd If you've spent any time on TikTok lately,
you've probably seen at least one video about ADHD.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
ADHD In women, we usually show up on the more
inattentive side, and this can look like having no hobbies
or losing interest in things very very quickly, constant overwhelm
and overthinking, which is usually because the hyperactive side is
in our brain and it doesn't stop.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Maybe it was someone listing signs you might have ADHD,
or sharing their ADHD live hacks, ADHD test.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
If you put five fingers down, you probably have ADHD.
Put a finger down. If you leave things half open,
like cabinets, drawers, or doors, put a finger down. If
you've ever focused on something for hours and don't notice
the time.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Passing back, and maybe, just maybe you've watched these videos
and thought, hang on, is this me?
Speaker 3 (07:19):
I'm twenty nine years old. I got diagnosed with ADHD
five months ago. Has completely changed my life.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Look, you're not alone. Videos with ADHD related hashtags have
racked up tens of billions of views on TikTok, with
more people than ever questioning whether they might have the condition.
As we know, ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, is
a neurodevelopmental condition. It can affect everything from being inattentive
right through a range of symptoms, including impulsive behaviors. It's
(07:49):
usually first clocked in childhood, but in some cases, largely
in women, it's underdiagnosed to adulthood. Here's where it gets complicated, though.
New research from the University of British Columbia has found
that ninety four percent of the most popular ADHD videos
on TikTok don't cite any reliable sources, and more than
(08:10):
half of the claims made in these videos don't actually
match the official diagnostic criteria. The study also found that
young adults who watched more teatoks about ADHD estimated the
condition was seven to ten times more common than it
actually is. For context, ADHD effects around five percent of
our population, which is about a million ausies, not the
(08:31):
thirty five to fifty percent that some TikTok creators suggest
the impact of this content is showing up in real
world numbers. According to the latest start, prescription rates for
ADHD medication in Australia have more than doubled since twenty eighteen,
and waiting lists for assessments have blown out, with some
people waiting up to two years to see a specialist.
(08:52):
But experts say it's not as simple as dismissing this
as just another social media trend. Historically, many adults, particularly
women and people who don't fit that stereotype of a
hyperactive young boy, have been left undiagnosed and at odds
with their symptoms. So is teak tok help to address
years of underdiagnosis or is it creating a different kind
(09:13):
of problem. Joining us now is University of British Columbia
psychology PhD student Vasilia Carasava, who's been researching the ADHD
TikTok connection. Vasili, let's start with the basics. Why do
you think we're seeing this explosion of ADHD content on
social media?
Speaker 5 (09:31):
Ooh, that's a great question. I think there's a couple
of reasons. The first is what I think I studied
up into is that people are really struggling, and also
we have this compounding effect of healthcare system making really
hard for people to gain access to healthcare workers, for.
Speaker 4 (09:49):
Example in Canada where we completed the study. In order
to get an official technosis for ADHD, you need a
referral from a family doctor that most people don't have
and then you often have to wait many months in
order to see a doctor and pay thousands of dollars instead,
TikTok kind of makes it easy for people to gain
(10:09):
information in many ways, has democratized information about mental health.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
It's interesting because we have a similar situation here in Australia.
We are seeing reports of people waiting to get in
to see a specialist to get their formal diagnosis. Some
of those waiting periods are extending into the years, not
just months. So I understand that it's good, like you
were saying, the democratization of information and people sharing their
first hand experience, and maybe that resonates with other users
(10:36):
on the platform. In that regard, it must be a
good thing. But where are the concerns coming in?
Speaker 3 (10:41):
Then?
Speaker 2 (10:41):
When people start to pick up on others content about ADHD.
Obviously it's very personalized. Is there an issue with it
just being constantly online unregulated?
Speaker 4 (10:51):
Right? So, for many, if not most, of the content
creators that create videos about ADHD and TikTok, their main
goal may not be to do research and produce videos
that really align with the research on the ADC diagnosis
and treatment, and it's that they might be more interested
in making something that's funny or relatable or entertaining, which
(11:14):
is very difficult. In our lab, we try to create
a vision that's both very like informed and the literature
of ADHD and entertaining, and we failed miserably. We never
posted it because we were so embarrassed what we did.
So in some ways the goal might not be to
really dig into the rices or be able to understanding
(11:35):
and dig through it. So the problem there is that
ADHD can look very different in different people, and it's
also very often comorbid, so it occurs at the same
time with other things like depression or anxiety that have
very similar symptoms, Like the lack of consideration can be
a symptom of both depression, anxiety any DHD. So the
(11:56):
problem is when all those things are conflated, people might
think they have ADHD, but they might have something else,
so they might not get the treatment that they need.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
It's also that thing of when people post these pieces
of content online, like you're saying, it's not necessarily showing
the negative impacts that ADHD could have on a person's life.
They only show the funny or the humor aside. Is
it also a case in vasilia that when people are
looking at these videos and thinking, oh, I relate to that,
maybe I have ADHD, is it possible that they're actually
(12:27):
just picking up on what could be a relatable behavior
as opposed to an actual symptom or side effect of
having ADHD.
Speaker 4 (12:34):
So this is very possible. We found that when we
were categorizing the claims made about indist and TikTok, the
biggest budget that we were filling up were things that
are better explained as part of the normal human experience,
like really liking the office, or isn't it the same
song over and over? Or having a sweet tooth now
(12:56):
in our stad we also found that people who consumed
more of this content felt worse about their own experiences
and their own symptoms. So what we think is happening
is similar to doom scrolling. So if you look through
the news, let's say, for half an hour every day,
you're up to date with what's going on and you're
very well informed. However, if you do scroll for many hours,
(13:20):
you are likely going to be very burdened by all
the horrible things that are going on in the world.
With ADHD, what we think is happening is that up
to a second point. People are very well informed and
understand about their own experiences and feel less alone, but
if they spent too much time on that, they might
become hyper vigilant about everything that they do. So, for example,
(13:42):
making careless mistakes, everyone does it from time to time,
but if you think that you have ADHD and this
is something that will never be treated or cured, you
might notice making more of those mistakes more often and
be less like to forget about it faster.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
How concerned should we be then, with people self diagnosing
based off watching hours of TikTok content.
Speaker 4 (14:04):
So the main concern then is people are not going
to get the help that they need. However, if getting
a self diagnosis is also prompting people to seek help
either from a therapist or a council or a psychiatrist,
then actually self diagnosis is very helpful. However, if people
stop after getting a self diagnosis because they think this
(14:27):
is all I need, there's nothing for me to do,
this is where the trouble starts. So if self diagnosis
helps people get the help that they need, by any means,
self diagnos away.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
So for people who are listening and thinking, oh yeah,
that's why I've watched hours of people's ADHD content online
and I'm pretty convinced that I've got ADHD myself. What
should they do then? What's the extension after doom scrolling
all the content?
Speaker 4 (14:53):
I would say, go and ask a doctor or a therapist,
do a thorough assessment and be open minded. It might
be something else. It might be anxiety or depression, or
lack of sleep or a lot of stress that you're
experiencing in your life. However, at the same time, you're
likely tapping into something very real in your own life
that you need support and help. And importantly, mental health
(15:14):
existent a spectrum. It's not like the moment you check
off all the boxes in the day nasis, then you
deserve help and support, And if you're liking a couple
of symptoms, then therapy wouldn't work for you you. So,
regardless of a dagnasis status, I would say, go out
and get some help if you think that you need it.
Speaker 2 (15:33):
Thanks for taking some time to feed your mind with
us today. Hey, before we wrap up today's episode, we
want to invite you to sign up to the Well newsletter.
If you're not familiar, Well is the brand new podcast
here at Mamma Mia. It's Doctor Mariam and our own
Claire Murphy getting together every single week to take you
through every single part of the female body and all
your health related questions. So when you sign up to
(15:56):
the Well newsletter every Monday morning, you'll receive your weekly
dose of trusted health expertise without all the confusing medical jargon. Plus,
newsletter subscribers get exclusive access to the waiting Room, which
is we can ask those awkward healthquare uestions that you
maybe have been too embarrassed to ask your doctor or
bring up in the group chat. And everything that you
share in the waiting room helps inform what we create
(16:17):
for you over on Well. Head to the link in
the show notes to sign up today. The Cookie is
produced by Me, Taylor Strano and Clare Murphy, with the
audio production by Lou Hill
So you're listening to a Muma Mea podcast. Mumma Mea
acknowledges the traditional owners of land and waters that this
podcast is recorded on.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Hey, I'm Taylor Strano. This is Mumma MIA's twice daily
news podcast, The Quickie. Okay, I'll be the first to
admit I use TikTok a little bit like I use Google,
taking my big questions to the app only to return
answers I maybe did not bargain for. And it turns
out quite a few of you are actually guilty of
this too. One of the most common case studies is
self diagnosis with ADHD of the back of hours of scrolling.
(00:46):
But just how many of us are actually neurodivergent and
how many of us have just spent way too much
time online Before we get there, Here's Claire Murphy with
the latest from the Quickie newsroom for Tuesday, April twenty two.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
Thanks Taylor. The cause of death for eighty eight year
old Pope Francis has been revealed. One day after the
pontiff passed away, the Vatican release the details of Pope
Francis's health in the lead up to his day, explaining
that he suffered a cerebral stroke before slipping into a coma.
He then experienced irreversible cardio circulatory collapse. The Pope had
(01:19):
been struggling with his health in recent years, including a
recent battle with acute respiratory failure and pneumonia that saw
him hospitalize for nearly forty days on top of his
hypertension and type two diabetes. Pope Francis, who was the
first pope from the Southern Hemisphere and the first from
the Americas, born in Argentina to Italian migrants, was known
(01:39):
to be a progressive pontiff, coming into the position as
the Catholic Church was experiencing allegations of sexual abuse by
its clergy, as well as there being reports of corruption
and infighting at the Vatican itself. Pope Francis tasking himself
with apologizing to those affected and attempting to clear out
the corruption. Instead of writing in expensive cars and living
(02:00):
in luxurious homes, Pope Francis chose to live in a
simple apartment and shunned the papal limousine, his security team
often having to scramble as he spent time with people
in their homes. He was a vocal supporter of those
working to combat climate change. He elevated women in the church,
but stopped short of allowing them to be ordained. He
was also more open to the LGBTQAA plus community. Asked
(02:23):
what he thought about the sexual orientation of priests, he said,
if someone is gay and he searches for the Lord
and has goodwill, who am I to judge. He declared
being homosexual isn't a crime and made a landmark ruling
that Catholic priests could bless same sex couples, but last
year he also apologized for using a homophobic slur while
discussing the church's ban on gay priests. He also condemned
(02:47):
the use of birth control, abortion and IVF, saying they
violate natural law, calling for a ban on surrogate motherhood,
saying it was deplorable. Prime Minister Anthony Albernizi released a
statement saying Pope Francis passionately decried views and actions contrary
to human dignity and flourishing. Australia's Cardinal Mikilbaichok, who was
born in Ukraine and served in Melbourne, is the youngest
(03:10):
of the cardinals at age forty five, who will now
vote to select the next Pope. He spoke after his death,
saying he was grateful for the late Holy Father's frequent
appeals for a just peace in Ukraine and for the
efforts of the Holy See that he oversaw, known and secret,
that in some way helped bring relief to the imprisoned
and suffering. National flags on federal government buildings across Australia
(03:33):
or flight half mass today as a mark of respect,
while parishes around the country are expected to hold special
memorial masses for the late Pope this week. Soccer games
in Argentina, where the Pope was born, and in Italy
were postponed after his death, as the sport paid their
respects to the man who was an avid fan of
the game. Francis a member of his beloved Buenos Aire's
(03:54):
club San Lorenzo. When the games resume this week, they
will be preceded by a minute of silence for the
players and fans to mourn. Early polling stations open across
the country today as millions of ossies choose to cast
their ballots before the big day rather than line up
for their opportunity to choose who'll lead the nation. We
are now just eleven days away from the May three election,
(04:15):
but with so many public holidays in the lead up
and school holidays in the mix, the major parties have
chosen to bring forward their official launchers this time around,
doing them much earlier than usual during a five week
election schedule. With more than five and a half million
Australians choosing to vote early in the twenty twenty two election,
it has upended how politicians campaign, knowing that if they
(04:36):
have something to say, it must be done early enough
to make an impact on those who will vote early
and then tune out for the rest of the run
up to election day. President Trump is standing by his
Secretary of Defense despite reports Pete Hegseth has again shared
classified information in a group chat. This one included his relatives.
Hegseth has been accused of using the social media platform
(04:58):
Signal to send a group chat message about the March
attack on Yemen's Iran aligned hooties. This chat included around
twelve people, including his wife, brother, and private lawyer. The
chat was originally created during his confirmation process to discuss
administrative issues, not detailed military planning. Heg Seth revealed classified
information in another group chat that included a journalist from
(05:21):
the Atlantic last month, a White House spokesperson said President
Trump stands strongly behind Secretary Hegseth, who's doing a phenomenal
job leading the Pentagon, saying this is what happens when
the entire Pentagon is working against you and working against
the monumental change you're trying to implement. Food Fighters frontman
Dave Grohl has made a surprise appearance at Coachella. Grohl
(05:43):
performed two tracks with the La Philharmonic Orchestra, playing the
World as a Neighborhood and ever Long for the Crowd.
The orchestra's set also included a performance from Cynthia Arrivo,
who sang Prince's classic Purple Rain, and Natasha Bettingfield, who
performed her classic two thousand and four hit Unwritten. The
set finished with ll Cooljay doing a medley of his hits.
(06:04):
The second week of the festival has seen Canadian DJ
and producer Dead Mouse apology to fans after his set
was cut short due to his on stage drinking. He
later said he was so drunk he doesn't remember a
thing about the performance.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Thanks Claire. Next, why everyone on your for you page
suddenly has adhd If you've spent any time on TikTok lately,
you've probably seen at least one video about ADHD.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
ADHD In women, we usually show up on the more
inattentive side, and this can look like having no hobbies
or losing interest in things very very quickly, constant overwhelm
and overthinking, which is usually because the hyperactive side is
in our brain and it doesn't stop.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Maybe it was someone listing signs you might have ADHD,
or sharing their ADHD live hacks, ADHD test.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
If you put five fingers down, you probably have ADHD.
Put a finger down. If you leave things half open,
like cabinets, drawers, or doors, put a finger down. If
you've ever focused on something for hours and don't notice
the time.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Passing back, and maybe, just maybe you've watched these videos
and thought, hang on, is this me?
Speaker 3 (07:19):
I'm twenty nine years old. I got diagnosed with ADHD
five months ago. Has completely changed my life.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Look, you're not alone. Videos with ADHD related hashtags have
racked up tens of billions of views on TikTok, with
more people than ever questioning whether they might have the condition.
As we know, ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, is
a neurodevelopmental condition. It can affect everything from being inattentive
right through a range of symptoms, including impulsive behaviors. It's
(07:49):
usually first clocked in childhood, but in some cases, largely
in women, it's underdiagnosed to adulthood. Here's where it gets complicated, though.
New research from the University of British Columbia has found
that ninety four percent of the most popular ADHD videos
on TikTok don't cite any reliable sources, and more than
(08:10):
half of the claims made in these videos don't actually
match the official diagnostic criteria. The study also found that
young adults who watched more teatoks about ADHD estimated the
condition was seven to ten times more common than it
actually is. For context, ADHD effects around five percent of
our population, which is about a million ausies, not the
(08:31):
thirty five to fifty percent that some TikTok creators suggest
the impact of this content is showing up in real
world numbers. According to the latest start, prescription rates for
ADHD medication in Australia have more than doubled since twenty eighteen,
and waiting lists for assessments have blown out, with some
people waiting up to two years to see a specialist.
(08:52):
But experts say it's not as simple as dismissing this
as just another social media trend. Historically, many adults, particularly
women and people who don't fit that stereotype of a
hyperactive young boy, have been left undiagnosed and at odds
with their symptoms. So is teak tok help to address
years of underdiagnosis or is it creating a different kind
(09:13):
of problem. Joining us now is University of British Columbia
psychology PhD student Vasilia Carasava, who's been researching the ADHD
TikTok connection. Vasili, let's start with the basics. Why do
you think we're seeing this explosion of ADHD content on
social media?
Speaker 5 (09:31):
Ooh, that's a great question. I think there's a couple
of reasons. The first is what I think I studied
up into is that people are really struggling, and also
we have this compounding effect of healthcare system making really
hard for people to gain access to healthcare workers, for.
Speaker 4 (09:49):
Example in Canada where we completed the study. In order
to get an official technosis for ADHD, you need a
referral from a family doctor that most people don't have
and then you often have to wait many months in
order to see a doctor and pay thousands of dollars instead,
TikTok kind of makes it easy for people to gain
(10:09):
information in many ways, has democratized information about mental health.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
It's interesting because we have a similar situation here in Australia.
We are seeing reports of people waiting to get in
to see a specialist to get their formal diagnosis. Some
of those waiting periods are extending into the years, not
just months. So I understand that it's good, like you
were saying, the democratization of information and people sharing their
first hand experience, and maybe that resonates with other users
(10:36):
on the platform. In that regard, it must be a
good thing. But where are the concerns coming in?
Speaker 3 (10:41):
Then?
Speaker 2 (10:41):
When people start to pick up on others content about ADHD.
Obviously it's very personalized. Is there an issue with it
just being constantly online unregulated?
Speaker 4 (10:51):
Right? So, for many, if not most, of the content
creators that create videos about ADHD and TikTok, their main
goal may not be to do research and produce videos
that really align with the research on the ADC diagnosis
and treatment, and it's that they might be more interested
in making something that's funny or relatable or entertaining, which
(11:14):
is very difficult. In our lab, we try to create
a vision that's both very like informed and the literature
of ADHD and entertaining, and we failed miserably. We never
posted it because we were so embarrassed what we did.
So in some ways the goal might not be to
really dig into the rices or be able to understanding
(11:35):
and dig through it. So the problem there is that
ADHD can look very different in different people, and it's
also very often comorbid, so it occurs at the same
time with other things like depression or anxiety that have
very similar symptoms, Like the lack of consideration can be
a symptom of both depression, anxiety any DHD. So the
(11:56):
problem is when all those things are conflated, people might
think they have ADHD, but they might have something else,
so they might not get the treatment that they need.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
It's also that thing of when people post these pieces
of content online, like you're saying, it's not necessarily showing
the negative impacts that ADHD could have on a person's life.
They only show the funny or the humor aside. Is
it also a case in vasilia that when people are
looking at these videos and thinking, oh, I relate to that,
maybe I have ADHD, is it possible that they're actually
(12:27):
just picking up on what could be a relatable behavior
as opposed to an actual symptom or side effect of
having ADHD.
Speaker 4 (12:34):
So this is very possible. We found that when we
were categorizing the claims made about indist and TikTok, the
biggest budget that we were filling up were things that
are better explained as part of the normal human experience,
like really liking the office, or isn't it the same
song over and over? Or having a sweet tooth now
(12:56):
in our stad we also found that people who consumed
more of this content felt worse about their own experiences
and their own symptoms. So what we think is happening
is similar to doom scrolling. So if you look through
the news, let's say, for half an hour every day,
you're up to date with what's going on and you're
very well informed. However, if you do scroll for many hours,
(13:20):
you are likely going to be very burdened by all
the horrible things that are going on in the world.
With ADHD, what we think is happening is that up
to a second point. People are very well informed and
understand about their own experiences and feel less alone, but
if they spent too much time on that, they might
become hyper vigilant about everything that they do. So, for example,
(13:42):
making careless mistakes, everyone does it from time to time,
but if you think that you have ADHD and this
is something that will never be treated or cured, you
might notice making more of those mistakes more often and
be less like to forget about it faster.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
How concerned should we be then, with people self diagnosing
based off watching hours of TikTok content.
Speaker 4 (14:04):
So the main concern then is people are not going
to get the help that they need. However, if getting
a self diagnosis is also prompting people to seek help
either from a therapist or a council or a psychiatrist,
then actually self diagnosis is very helpful. However, if people
stop after getting a self diagnosis because they think this
(14:27):
is all I need, there's nothing for me to do,
this is where the trouble starts. So if self diagnosis
helps people get the help that they need, by any means,
self diagnos away.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
So for people who are listening and thinking, oh yeah,
that's why I've watched hours of people's ADHD content online
and I'm pretty convinced that I've got ADHD myself. What
should they do then? What's the extension after doom scrolling
all the content?
Speaker 4 (14:53):
I would say, go and ask a doctor or a therapist,
do a thorough assessment and be open minded. It might
be something else. It might be anxiety or depression, or
lack of sleep or a lot of stress that you're
experiencing in your life. However, at the same time, you're
likely tapping into something very real in your own life
that you need support and help. And importantly, mental health
(15:14):
existent a spectrum. It's not like the moment you check
off all the boxes in the day nasis, then you
deserve help and support, And if you're liking a couple
of symptoms, then therapy wouldn't work for you you. So,
regardless of a dagnasis status, I would say, go out
and get some help if you think that you need it.
Speaker 2 (15:33):
Thanks for taking some time to feed your mind with
us today. Hey, before we wrap up today's episode, we
want to invite you to sign up to the Well newsletter.
If you're not familiar, Well is the brand new podcast
here at Mamma Mia. It's Doctor Mariam and our own
Claire Murphy getting together every single week to take you
through every single part of the female body and all
your health related questions. So when you sign up to
(15:56):
the Well newsletter every Monday morning, you'll receive your weekly
dose of trusted health expertise without all the confusing medical jargon. Plus,
newsletter subscribers get exclusive access to the waiting Room, which
is we can ask those awkward healthquare uestions that you
maybe have been too embarrassed to ask your doctor or
bring up in the group chat. And everything that you
share in the waiting room helps inform what we create
(16:17):
for you over on Well. Head to the link in
the show notes to sign up today. The Cookie is
produced by Me, Taylor Strano and Clare Murphy, with the
audio production by Lou Hill
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