A quick scroll on TikTok will have you thinking, “Maybe I do have ADHD?”, or “Should I look into whether I’m autistic?”.
There’s been a huge rise in videos talking about mental health conditions. The hashtag #adhdtiktok has received 8 billion views over the last 3 years.
And at times, this can be incredibly useful. Some experts say that self-identification can be great for helping us understand ourselves and learning tools to cope with our mental health.
In an interview, Professor Sue Fletcher-Watson says, “People often self-identify as autistic, just as they self-identify their gender or ethnicity.
“This should be an option for people, as you shouldn’t need a doctor to tell you who you are.”
She goes on to say that people don’t necessarily have to jump through hoops to get a diagnosis. If they feel that they’re autistic and would like to learn more about it online, then that’s what works for them.
Some campaigners online say that neurodivergence can’t be treated with traditional methods.
Instagram creator Sonny Jane Wise who campaigns about neurodivergence awareness shared a post where they agreed, saying: “We need to stop viewing neurodivergence with the lens of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) because it only pathologises neurodivergence and ends up excluding individuals who don’t use DSM labels as well as Indigenous communities and other communities who don’t prescribe to colonial labels.”
It’s important to highlight that self-indication is a legitimate form of diagnosis.
Author Katherine May, who was diagnosed with autism in middle age, agrees with this notion.
“Self-identification is valid, and many autistic people undertake in-depth research in the academic literature, and also seek contact with other autistic people to gain a more nuanced understanding,” she explains.
She says that, for many, this is all they need in order to make changes that would make life more sustainable.
When can it be useful to get diagnosed?
Psychologist Dr Gayle Watts at Turning Tides Psychology says there is a time and place for getting a formal diagnosis and diagnosing yourself using social media can sometimes be problematic: “An individual might place a high amount of importance on things being clean, tidy, and organised but this doesn’t mean they have OCD.
“Often people describe having ‘a bit’ of something – e.g. ‘I am a bit OCD’, or ‘I am a bit ADHD’. This is not how diagnoses work – you either have them or you don’t (although of course there can be variations in severity if you do have a diagnosis).”
She says she’s seen a huge increase in the number of people questioning whether they have mental health issues or could be neurodivergent based on what they’ve seen online. Still, she explains that these videos don’t often offer wider context of what could be going on.
“For example, people often attribute attention difficulties to ADHD but attention can be affected greatly by other things like depression, anxiety, sleep difficulties or trauma.”
Dr Watts says that “a self-diagnosis could lead an individual to seek inappropriate treatment either via health services or by self-medicating.”
“For example, people may try certain over-the-counter medications, herbal remedies, things like CBD, or even illegal drugs if they have heard that they can help with symptom management. Incorrect treatment may even further exacerbate unwanted symptoms,” she adds.
Dr Watts says that “there are videos on social media suggesting that if you have a messy side table in your house then this might be a sign that you have ADHD. This trivialises what it is actually like to live with ADHD and the impact that it can have on all aspects of people’s lives.”
According to the expert, in order to obtain a diagnosis, you have to meet a number of different diagnostic criteria but sometimes “people recognise just one trait or characteristic within themselves and think that this means they have ‘a bit’ of a particular condition.”
If you think you might have a health condition you’ve learned about online, it’s always best to speak to your GP about a potential referral first.
But if you think you’re neurodivergent and don’t want to speak to a doctor? That’s your prerogative. Do what feels right for you!