ADHD self-identification and the role of social media

Abstract

Section A
Background. Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) diagnosis and awareness has increased in the United Kingdom and globally. Social media platforms, particularly TikTok, have become prominent sources of ADHD-related information, with large volumes of user-generated content disseminating personal experiences and symptom narratives. This content may facilitate self-exploration and self-diagnosis, but its impact has not yet been systematically synthesised.
Objective. This systematic review aimed to examine how ADHD-related content on TikTok influences self-identification, help-seeking, diagnostic interpretation, and perceptions of ADHD.
Methods. A systematic literature search was conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines across six databases. Studies published in English from 2018 onwards were included if they reported primary data on ADHD-related TikTok content and outcomes such as self-identification, diagnosis, help-seeking, or perceptions of ADHD. Of 154 identified papers, 12 met inclusion criteria (six qualitative, five quantitative, one mixed methods). Study quality was appraised, and findings were synthesised using a mixed-methods approach: thematic synthesis for qualitative data and narrative synthesis for quantitative data.
Results. Three themes were identified: (1) The Role of TikTok’s Digital Infrastructure, highlighting how accessibility, algorithmic curation, and engagement-driven trends facilitate widespread and incidental exposure to ADHD content; (2) Balancing Reach, Reliability, and Relatability of ADHD Content, demonstrating how relatable lived experiences support awareness and self-recognition, while misinformation and oversimplification create interpretive risks; and (3) Competing Expertise: Lived Experience vs Medical Knowledge, illustrating how TikTok positions lived experience alongside medical knowledge, enabling validation, community-building, and informal self-assessment while potentially encouraging self-diagnosis and trivialisation. Overall, TikTok emerged as an influential space for ADHD awareness and self-understanding, but increased visibility did not necessarily equate to accurate clinical understanding.
Conclusions. TikTok plays an influential role in shaping contemporary ADHD self-understanding, providing accessible and relatable lived-experience narratives that may support awareness, validation, and early recognition, particularly among individuals underrepresented in traditional diagnostic pathways. However, algorithmic amplification and entertainment-driven content can also contribute to misinformation, over-identification, and blurred boundaries between experiential and clinical knowledge. These findings highlight the need to recognise social media-informed self-identification within clinical practice while maintaining evidence-based diagnostic assessment and promoting digital health literacy.

Section B
Background. Social media provides accessible narratives through which individuals interpret experiences associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), often leading to self-identification prior to clinical assessment. However, little is known about how individuals make sense of their experiences when a subsequent diagnostic assessment does not confirm ADHD.
Objective. This study explored how adults who self-identified with ADHD via social media construct narratives before and after not receiving a diagnosis at clinical assessment, and how personal, community, and cultural narratives interact in shaping identity.
Methods. Nine adults (eight females, one transgender male), aged 21–55 and of mixed ethnicities, who did not receive an ADHD diagnosis, participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using a two-stage approach: within-case narrative analysis guided by a three-tier narrative model, followed by cross-case narrative thematic analysis.
Results. ADHD-related identity formation was found to be dynamic and socially mediated, shaped by ongoing cycles of recognition, validation, and disruption. Social media and peer communities often facilitated initial recognition and coherent self-understanding. However, not receiving a diagnosis frequently led to emotional distress, self-doubt, and identity questioning, although some participants reported feelings of closure following assessment.
Conclusions. ADHD identity formation is dynamic and socially mediated, shaped by cycles of recognition, validation, and disruption. Social media and peer communities often support initial self-recognition, while not receiving a diagnosis led to distress, self-doubt, or, in some cases, closure. Overall, ADHD identity develops through ongoing negotiation between lived experience, social validation, and clinical authority. Clinical implications highlight the need for more flexible assessments that capture diverse presentations, particularly in under-recognised groups such as women. While this study recognises the value of established diagnostic criteria and does not suggest changes to assessment outcomes in most cases, it proposes that a more structured approach to communicating results and providing post-assessment support could improve understanding and acceptance, reduce distress and the need for second opinions, and help ease service demand.

Date of Award	2026
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Canterbury Christ Church University