If you ask my friends from high school and university what I was like as a student, they’d say I was all over the place. I would get things done, but I procrastinated a lot, and cramming was a habit. In classes, my mind either flew outside the window or into dreamland — except in the few classes I truly enjoyed.
As an adult, my mind often feels like it’s overheating from uninvited thoughts, even as I spend time on leisure. And falling asleep has been difficult. My brain doesn’t seem to have an off switch.
I just need self-discipline — that’s what my mom had always told me as a teenager. I wouldn’t say I never tried. Over the years I obsessed over lists and timetables, which helped. But they never silenced the chaos in my mind.
One afternoon back in college, as I doomscrolled through social media, I saw a video that featured people with ADHD or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. ADHD is a mental disorder where patients tend to be inattentive, hyperactive, and impulsive, according to Psychiatry.org. In the video, a young adult recounted struggling with academics as a student. But taking proper medication, she said, “silenced” her brain and helped her focus.
After watching the video, I started to think I might have ADHD, too. But further browsing online or through social media did only so much to help me verify symptoms and find treatment.
This pushed me to see a psychiatrist in early 2024. I was already working at the time, and after my first session, I was prescribed methylphenidate, a central nervous system stimulant. It helps me focus whenever I need to do intensive work.
Things turned around for my mental health after I saw that video, and it seems that many young people might have had similar experiences.
TikTok has become a go-to platform for health-related information for many Gen Zs. In fact, 56% of the 1,000 Gen Zs who participated in a 2024 survey said they use TikTok for wellness advice.
ADHD seems to be a popular topic on TikTok, too. A social media scan conducted by The Nerve showed that ADHD-related TikTok videos shared in the past year featured personal experiences of people living with ADHD, as well as content that focused on educating users and raising awareness on the disorder.
There was a significant spike in ADHD-related videos on TikTok around the second quarter of 2024, which prompted experts to warn young users against self-diagnosing and blindly following health advice online.
This begs the question: Is TikTok enough to support young people who might have ADHD?
Personal experiences living with ADHD
Overall, 54% of the ADHD-related TikTok videos in the scan featured personal stories of either adults living with ADHD or parents of kids with ADHD. Many of the videos I’ve seen are funny skits or memes about symptoms in adults.
I first thought that only kids could have ADHD, so it was enlightening for me to see adults with the disorder. To learn more about it, I spoke with my doctor, Vanessa Kathleen Cainghug, a child and adult psychiatrist from St. Luke’s Global City and The Medical City.
Dr. Vanessa said that ADHD really starts in childhood, often diagnosed at the school age. Symptoms usually only subside in adulthood, meaning it doesn’t suddenly develop in adults. Hyperactivity is the main symptom in children with ADHD, while poor focus, inattention, and impulsivity remain in adults.
In the TikTok videos, some people talked about their repetitive physical behaviors, as well as their struggles with daily tasks and hobby maintenance. I have similar mannerisms where I often fidget with my earrings, necklace, and rings, and I’ve had my fair share of abandoned hobbies.
Some parents shared tips, too, about raising kids with ADHD. A parent shared how they kept their kids busy during the summer, and how to keep them on top of their chores.
Dr. Vanessa acknowledged that TikTok videos about ADHD can be helpful in “looking for people with the same problems.” In my case, seeing ADHD-related social media content made me aware of the problem and led me to consult a professional.
When I asked her if it’s safe to follow advice from these videos, she said it’s still best to consult a professional.
“People will really look into social media for whatever they want to learn. It is just hoped that they can discern what is scientific and what is not,” she said.
Potential misinformation
Dr. Vanessa’s warning applies more, perhaps, to other content in The Nerve’s social media scan.
Self-help videos make up 30% of ADHD-related TikTok content, while educational videos take up 16%. It surprised me to see this side of TikTok where users call themselves ADHD experts or coaches, complete with certifications and medical credentials.
But even if creators have these titles, it’s important to double check whether their claims are accurate. Some information we see on social media, even from so-called experts, could be false, inaccurate, or misleading — and profit-driven platforms like TikTok tend to amplify unverified claims and content.
For example, one TikTok user, who is a verified therapist, brought up eye movement desensitization and reprocessing as a treatment for people with ADHD. But Dr. Vanessa said that while EMDR is used to treat different psychiatric problems like, say, post traumatic stress disorder, it’s not a very effective treatment for ADHD.
Another user said that people with ADHD are more susceptible to addiction. It first sounded like a myth to me since the creator didn’t have any background in psychiatry. But it turned out to be true, as Dr. Vanessa confirmed, especially if the disorder is left untreated.
Some users said, too, that ADHD has been often overlooked in girls, and it’s common for women to get diagnosed later in life. Dr. Vanessa explained that a portion of girls with ADHD only have inattention and poor impulse control as symptoms, excluding hyperactivity. These symptoms may not be as obvious, which may delay girls’ diagnosis.
But later in life, when school becomes more demanding or when women start working, difficulties with inattention and poor impulse control can hinder them from achieving goals. At this point, many women seek professional consultation.
With the overwhelming information on TikTok and other social media platforms — which come from several sources and creators — navigating ADHD and mental health can be difficult. Doing a quick Google search to verify information can be just as hard, with websites overloaded with details.
Lack of spaces?
Because ADHD-related content thrives on TikTok and other online platforms, it might be easy to think that there’s a lack of discussion within institutions when it comes to ADHD or mental health in general. Dr. Vanessa, however, thinks otherwise.
“I think [ADHD has] been discussed extensively in so many [fora]. But if you are dealing with it for the first time, you might not know where to look for information. [It’s] much better if professional [consultation] is sought,” she said.
I admit: I was once clueless about living with ADHD. I have heavily relied on social media before I consulted a psychiatrist. But months after consultation, I discovered a local organization called ADHD Society of the Philippines, which is dedicated to supporting people with ADHD.
The group organizes events to raise awareness on ADHD as well as online support groups facilitated by professionals available for parents, adults, and teens. It also has an online video library dedicated to understanding the disorder, where people have shared their own ADHD stories.
I also found out about the #MentalHealthPH website where there’s a ton of discussion with professionals about understanding mental health for the Filipino. The website has a database and directory of mental health facilities, services, and organization in the Philippines. Among its online content is #MHTalks, a four-part video series about mental healthcare with Filipino professionals. You can check it out here.
I’ve yet to find more spaces where I can freely discuss my mental health, and I’m still figuring out how my medicine works. But I know I’m well on my way to getting better.
It’s true that social media helped me get to where I am now, but I didn’t stop with just that. I let it clear up a path for me towards seeking professional help and looking for spaces where I can find more reliable support. – with reports by Gaby Baizas/Rappler.com
This investigation used Nerve’s suite of forensic solutions including video and network analysis. If you’re interested in working with the Nerve, send an email to hello@thenerve.co.
Decoded is a Rappler series that explores the challenges and opportunities that come with living in transformative times. It is produced by The Nerve, a data forensics company that enables changemakers to navigate real-world trends and issues through narrative & network investigations. Taking the best of human and machine, we enable partners to unlock powerful insights that shape informed decisions. Composed of a team of data scientists, strategists, award-winning storytellers, and designers, the company is on a mission to deliver data with real-world impact.