Recent media attention has revealed that small companies have been using TikTok advertisements to prescribe stimulant medications for ADHD. A cross-sectional study published by the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry examined the role these advertisements have on viewers, concluding that a significant percent (50%) of ads were misleading. The New York Post addressed this finding in an article; they discussed how disseminating misinformation on health through social media platforms has an impact on clinical care.
Companies, including Done and Ahead, have created ads recommending viewers to check out their websites to see if they qualify for treatment. One ad by Done shows a woman working on her computer with the caption, “Focusing better. Better time management. Less anxiety.” Their website opens with a page on how to get started: first is a one-minute assessment, followed by a 30-minute appointment. The startup Ahead portrays a similar message in one of their ads that promises a simplified treatment: “Fill out an online form. Prescriptions delivered. Appointments are online.”
Addressing Ethical Concerns: Self-Diagnosing Through Social Media
Portraying stimulant medications as a supplement to enhance one’s performance ignores the potential side-effects and consequences of such use and it may cause adolescents to misdiagnose themselves with ADHD.
TikTok’s demographics primarily consist of a young audience: a publication on the distribution of U.S. users by age group highlights that about a quarter of users are of ages 10 to 19. When a brand’s target audience is teenagers, their marketing strategy relies heavily on social media use, which is the case among companies like Done and Ahead. The potential role of ads in teen substance misuse must be examined as these companies are ultimately profiting off of prescribing individuals medications for a disorder that does not have a simple diagnosis.
Becoming dependent on ADHD medications can come with a host of issues, and there is a growing concern over the rise in prescription misuse and abuse among teenagers. Since the disorder is most commonly diagnosed among children, believing that the behaviors of an adolescent can be attributed to ADHD is often inaccurate: according to NAMI, 8.8% of children 4-17 years old are diagnosed with ADHD, not 50% or higher as many companies portray it to be. The emphasis on pharmaceutical treatment as an initial intervention option further raises questions on the long-term effects of the intervention.
The Problem with Overgeneralizing ADHD: Perpetuating its Inaccurate Representation
The American Psychiatric Association’s DSM-IV characterizes ADHD symptoms into two categories: inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive. While the language surrounding the symptoms can be considered relatively vague (e.g., “Often has difficulty awaiting turn”), the DSM-IV stresses that at least six symptoms must persist for over six months to a “maladaptive degree inconsistent with developmental level” for one to be diagnosed. There also must be present impairment from the symptoms in at least two settings in the person’s life.
The concern is that many people read the symptoms and believe they exhibit them—oversimplifying the disorder from the generalized language. Since the main symptoms for ADHD that appear on websites include having poor time management skills, trouble multitasking, and problems focusing on a task, it’s easy for one to think, “Well who doesn’t have difficulty multitasking sometimes?”.
What exacerbates this issue is the misguided representation of ADHD in the media, specifically on TikTok. The language characterizing ADHD aligns with the notion that someone must be disorganized and hyperactive to have the disorder, while failing to recognize the significant struggles of its maladaptive behaviors. One of Done’s TikToks captures this misinformed perception: the video starts with a woman saying, “I got three looks of ADHD.” It pans to a scene of her looking for her phone and car keys, then eating ice cream on the couch, and finishes with her vigorously typing on a computer. Each scene is captioned with a short phrase, such as “ADHD burnout” or “hyperfocusing on new hobbies.”
Videos like Done’s contribute to the portrayal of ADHD as a quirky, generalized trait that perpetuates stereotypes and dismisses the hardships of those living with significant ADHD, while glamorizing pharmaceutical treatment options. Living with ADHD is living with a neurodevelopmental disorder and should not be sugar-coated for profit by startups and content creators alike.
Understanding the complexities of the disorder is imperative to mitigate its stigma, so information contradicting it should be scrutinized. To help stop people from equating the disorder with counterproductive qualities, social media platforms should enforce stricter regulations on the type of content published, and viewers should be cognizant of the light in which ADHD is shed.