Can Tiktok Tell Me If I Have ADHD?
Can Tiktok Tell Me If I Have ADHD?
The short answer is no, Tiktok cannot diagnose you with ADHD, you need to talk to a therapist for that but this is a blog, so strap in for a slightly longer answer.
Tiktok is an amazing source of information and entertainment but just like any other corner of the internet, you will always find something that will confirm a sneaking suspicion you might have about yourself or the world. Do you think that you might have ADHD? Tiktok is more than happy to confirm that. As soon as you start engaging with ADHD content, it will serve more of it to you. Just like if you enjoy huskies yodeling at high volumes for no reason or learning about how global economic fluctuations influence skirt lengths, Tiktok and the internet at large will start conforming to what you indicate you enjoy through your engagement. This isn’t a good thing or a bad thing but it’s definitely good to know it’s a thing thing so you can act accordingly.
There’s no doubt that Tiktok currently has more information about ADHD and neurodivergence in general than many platforms so why should you talk to a therapist about ADHD? Here’s a few reasons.
The information about ADHD on Tiktok and social media is very general and lacks context which means it may be super relatable but isn’t specifically about you. In order to figure out if you have ADHD and to work with it effectively, a therapist needs to learn more about how ADHD might show up for you in the context of your life so you can collaborate together on tools that are tailored for you to use.
ADHD symptoms overlap with a whole bunch of other stuff and can potentially be due to undiagnosed medical issues as well. When you go to see a therapist to help you with ADHD, they are ethically obligated to check in with you about whether you’ve seen a doctor recently to rule out any other potential causes for what you’re experiencing. It would be very frustrating and ultimately pointless to try to manage symptoms of ADHD that were caused by another medical issue!
Tiktok is phenomenal for community and learning but isn’t a substitute for therapy itself. In therapy, you get to form a specific kind of relationship with your therapist that is actually part of the process that helps with ADHD, as often there’s lots of ruptured relationships and attachments for those of us with sparkly brains. Talking to a therapist specifically about ADHD can help to sort out some of the relational patterns that can be causing you friction that won’t be solved on social media.
In conclusion, Tiktok can’t tell you if you have ADHD or give you therapy, but it can give you a wealth of information and community that gets you thinking about your life through a new lens. If you feel that you might benefit from talking to a therapist about ADHD, feel free to schedule a consult with one of our wonderful therapists or coaches.