ADHD Diagnoses Seem to Have Increased on the Internet – Is It Really That Common?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 11 percent of children in the U.S. have been diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) – a developmental disorder caused by differences in brain structure, particularly an imbalance in dopamine and norepinephrine.

“ADHD is recognized as one of the more common neurobehavioral diagnoses,” says Dannah G. Raz, division chief of Developmental Pediatrics at Phoenix Children’s in Phoenix, Arizona.

Boys are 15 percent more likely to be diagnosed with the condition compared to girls, because they’re more likely to cause behavioral issues in class while girls are more likely to show inattention which impacts their school work but does not disrupt class, says Zishan Khan, a child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist at Mindpath Health in Frisco, Texas.

Only around 6 percent of adults have the condition, largely because when they were children, ADHD diagnoses were less common. While the number of diagnoses seem to be increasing, it’s more likely that doctors are just better at recognizing the condition than they used to be, says Raz.

Are ADHD Diagnoses Increasing?

ADHD diagnoses appears to be more prevalent on the internet for several reasons. For starters, there’s a decreased stigma around the condition and around mental health in general, which is a good thing, says Khan. There’s been an uptick in visibility on platforms like TikTok, Reddit, and Instagram, particularly among teens and young adults, because that’s the main demographic of people who use these platforms.

“Social media has become a space where people feel empowered to share their mental health journeys, but it can also blur the lines between a genuine diagnosis and self-labeling,” says Khan.

Those with ADHD do not have enough neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter in the brain that plays a role in reward and motivation, while norepinephrine impacts alertness. What’s more, signaling in the brain seems to be dysregulated, causing symptoms of inattention, an inability to stay on task, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Children with ADHD may have problems staying on task in class, they may exhibit behavioral problems, issues with interrupting, or calling out in class.

Some of the traits of ADHD, like forgetfulness, impulsivity, and trouble focusing, are universal human experiences, and as a result, many people who do not have ADHD see themselves reflected in the content they’re shown based on the algorithm of the platform.

It’s content that’s been promoted widely on so many platforms because it’s easily digestible, which disproportionately elevates the condition so that it seems more common than it is.

“When they’re exposed to it all the time, they begin to wonder whether they have it too,” says Khan.

ADHD on Social Media Platforms

At the same time, when you’re on a platform like TikTok and Instagram that systematically lowers your attention span over time, you’re likely to be more sensitive about concerns for conditions like ADHD, which again plays into the algorithm.

There’s even a name for it: TikTok Brain, because many experts contend that the rapid videos shorten our ability to focus on other aspects of life. Researchers at Stanford University found that TikTok had a negative influence on students and particularly impacted the way they absorb information during lecture lessons.

While ADHD isn’t uncommon, it’s important to recognize that just because you or your child experiences symptoms at times, doesn’t mean that you have the condition.

“[Patients] have to have a multitude of symptoms, and it has to be across multiple settings,” says Raz.

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