One in four adults now think they have ADHD… and social media is driving trend for self-diagnosis

One in four adults think they have ‘hidden’ ADHD — with social media driving a wave of self-diagnosis, scientists have claimed.

Yet just half (13 per cent) had actually sought medial help, the US-based experts behind a new study tracking the trend discovered. 

Research shows fewer than one in 20 people in the UK actually suffer from the disorder, characterised by difficulty concentrating, hyperactivity and impulsiveness.

These figures, they added, raised concerns that other health problems causing similar symptoms could be going undiagnosed.

‘Anxiety, depression and ADHD — all these things can look a lot alike,’ said lead researcher Professor Justin Barterian, a psychologist at Ohio State University.

A 2022 study published in the journal European Psychiatry found young people were diagnosing themselves with ADHD after watching clips on TikTok

The study authors agreed open conversations helped to reduce mental health stigmas, but the creators of the videos were not often experts in the field

‘But the wrong treatment can make things worse instead of helping that person feel better and improving their functioning.’

The survey of 1,000 American adults, conducted by Ohio State, found younger adults are more likely to believe they have the condition than older generations, and they are more likely to do something about it. 

Prof Barterian said social media had increased awareness of ADHD symptoms.

Scores of celebrities from Olympian Simone Biles to Hollywood star Mark Ruffalo and Harry Potter actor Emma Watson have gone public with their own ADHD diagnoses. 

A 2022 study published in the journal European Psychiatry found young people were diagnosing themselves with ADHD after watching clips on TikTok. 

Older patients with ADHD struggle with memory and concentration while youngsters are more likely to suffer hyperactivity

Prof Barterian added: ‘If you’re watching videos on social media and it makes you think that you may meet criteria for the disorder, I would encourage you to seek an evaluation from a psychologist, a psychiatrist or a physician to get it checked out’

The study authors agreed open conversations helped to reduce mental health stigmas, but the creators of the videos were not often experts in the field.

‘If you’re watching videos on social media and it makes you think that you may meet criteria for the disorder, I would encourage you to seek an evaluation from a psychologist or a psychiatrist or a physician to get it checked out,’ Prof Barterian said.

Symptoms may differ in adults and children, he added. 

Older patients with ADHD struggle with memory and concentration while youngsters are more likely to suffer hyperactivity.

Prof Barterian added: ‘If you’re watching videos on social media and it makes you think that you may meet criteria for the disorder, I would encourage you to seek an evaluation from a psychologist, a psychiatrist or a physician to get it checked out.’ 

Dr Robert Dicker, associate director of child and adolescent psychiatry at Zucker Hillside Hospital, said it wasn’t uncommon for ADHD diagnoses run in families. 

Adults may first think they have undiagnosed ADHD if a child receives a diagnosed and they notice they have similar symptoms.

‘Often with adults, they tell me that their parents didn’t believe they had ADHD, that it was frowned on, the school system didn’t support them, or they were stigmatized not for having ADHD, but being poor students and bad kids,’ Dicker, who was not involved with the new research, told The New York Post.

Environmental factors, such as brain injuries, premature birth and lead exposure during childhood, can also raise the odds of a diagnosis.

Henry Shelford, the CEO of ADHD UK, told The Telegraph: ‘This research underlines some of the significant differences between the UK and USA regarding ADHD.

‘In the UK we recognised ADHD decades later than [in America] and have significant under-diagnosis as a result.

‘In the UK we also have a very different healthcare system with much more restricted protocols on who can diagnose ADHD when compared to the US.

‘Our situations are not the same so we should be very careful in how we consider the relevance of attitudinal research like this.’