ADHD: can we de-normalise the addiction of self-diagnosis with #adhdawareness trending on TikTok ? - a case study approach

Tik Tok, a rising sensation for both young and old. Had led to a misdiagnosis of hashtag trending on #adhdawareness - which eventually triggered the viewership to a billion views, with users even self-diagnosing themselves with ADHD without any consultations of a general practitioner and owning it like no one's business. I cringe.

A stimulus that creates a malfunction of the brain through symptoms such as anxiety symptoms that would eventually lead to ADHD symptoms. I remember when I was actually studying for my certified course for special needs, and the adult parents who I studied with - always seem to beam with joy when there's a mention of ADHD - as though having short attention span in their life increases happiness.

What is Tik Tok?

Tik tok is a social media app that dedicates to short form videos created for and consumed by users - the short videos last up to 15-60 seconds, therefore it acts as a form of entertainment for the masses.

People also take it to the platform to raise their voices through singing, lip-syncing and allows others to create and share them across the community.

what is ADHD? ADHD is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder - the addiction however is cause by the lack of dopamine in their brains - so they abuse drugs or alcohol as they have lower levels of the chemical than people who don't have ADHD

#adhdawareness - how it trended?

Everyone talks about ADHD as though having it is a stroke of luck when in reality, the patients who suffer from ADHD are suffering with it at is worse state - I don't think anyone should ever wish themselves for ADHD.

why're people taking it to Tik Tok to create a mass awareness on it?

• Isolation - studies have shown that many adults with ADHD suffer from loneliness - this can lead to addiction - social isolation could be one of the contributing factors to the severity of expressed ADHD - this is what we're seeing on Tik Tok.
• External Validation - Needing to be liked - which is a whole psychological concept of contingency self worth - which lead to announcement culture - announcing is like a form of status symbol of power as though is a form of currency - and than people post all these announcements to wait around on the confirmation of likes.
• Performative culture - Putting on a front of something that isn't a real reflection of you - we're all presenting ourselves - that our online presence is more important than the actual reality.
• A form of self pity - when individuals feel self pity they become immersed in their own problems and they forget that others have the same problems - they ignore their interconnections with others and they feel they are the only ones in the world who are suffering.
• Poor upbringing - While ADHD root causes lies in the genetics, not all parents are bad parents and not all who inherit the genes of their parents suffer from ADHD but avoidence attachment styles which stems from childhood trauma which could lead to difficulty in speaking up
• Lack of healthy boundaries - Gabor mate mentioned that those who suffer from ADHD tend to be hypersensitive ( in his book scattered minds) - one of the effects that cause an impulsion and difficulty to self-regulate - therefore their mood swings fluctuate - therefore you can see on Tik Tok that viewers take it to the whole new level of self- regulation through the masquerade of emotions through their short videos.

Can we de-normalize the addiction at this point in time?

1. Stop the Scrolling - it leads to unnecessary brainwashing and comparison on which video is more useful for ADHD
2. Seek professional help - such as a therapist for them to do an assessment test for your behaviour
3. Cold Turkey on Tik Tok or delete the application entirely
4. Create a visualised routine which caters to having a sleep routine that doesn't disrupt the body clock so that emotions won't act up
5. Educate yourself with REAL FACTS about ADHD and not listen to everything you watch on social media - be mindful when you're watching Tik Tok and discern for yourself between the right and wrong before diagnosing yourself with ADHD.

While these methods do impose limitations for each individual - the practice of mindfulness technique through meditations would give the mind clarity in making better informed decisions.

But I don't think we can really de-normalize the addiction especially when it has reached worldwide coverage, while educators like me can continue to debunk and unmask the truth, it is up to the the individual to make their own choices - after all social media creates an illusion that suffering from ADHD earlier would help you recover faster, I don't think that theres an instant route for recovery when it comes to ADHD patients - as routines need to be conditioned and the environment do play a vital role when it comes to increasing risk of ADHD -

• poverty
• unsupported parents or primary caregivers
• a disordered household environment
• maternal depression

a positive support system and managing distractions would be key to easing the symptoms temporarily. While in other cases, medications and therapy would be necessary to sustain the reaction of hypersensitivity acting up.

I think Tik Tok is an easy target for ADHD sufferers to be over-stimulated due to the short bursts that Tik Tok creates for its users - and with each story being short lived - users tend to want more so they immerse themselves in all kinds of content that creates a delusion/ a fantasy in a world that they live in -

short term bursts = high levels of stimulation in the brain that triggers a release of dopamine

Even though such content are short term bursts, it ironically makes a user bored - therefore the brain needs to constantly be rewarded with dopamine - and Tik Tok makes it convenient for users to consume content.

However I do applaud the users who create the Tik Tok videos on educating on ADHD through visualisation - I believe visualisation is the way to go when it comes to education awareness for such disorders - as people who suffer from ADHD attention deficiency is rather short - so creating such videos would enhance a summary of what is ADHD but social media like Tik Tok lack the regulations on content creations therefore Tik Tok makes it an easy target for disturbances of content creation of violences - which I feel needs to be taken into consideration while ADHD doesn't link with aggression - there are others who are diagnosed with ADHD may be more violent due to symptoms such as emotional dysregulation and impulsivity.