- Social media platforms such as TikTok encourage self-diagnosis and misinformation about autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
- Experts share the dangers of self-diagnosing mental health conditions.
- Reliable online resources provide reliable alternatives to misinformation.
In the age of TikTok, young people are increasingly self-diagnosing mental health conditions, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Some posts included people sharing why they believe self-diagnosis is effective, while others included mental health professionals emphasizing the importance of getting diagnosed by a health care provider. There are some.
“Self-diagnosis has always been risky. Social media only increases the potential danger of self-diagnosis,” said Joseph O’Brien, LCSW, manager of the Behavioral Wellness Center at Inspira Health. told Healthline.
Misinformation spread on social media increases the danger. In fact, one study found that only 27% of his most popular autism-related TikTok videos contained accurate information.
The study also found that 32% of videos were overgeneralized and more than 41% were completely inaccurate.
Researchers looked at the dangers by analyzing engagement metrics such as views and likes on TikTok videos associated with the “autism” hashtag.
The content of the most viewed videos was fact-checked, with an emphasis on those that provided information about autism as a condition, such as what causes autism and how to identify it. The videos were then marked as either accurate, inaccurate, or “overgeneralized” based on the consistency of the information in the videos with currently reputable knowledge about autism.
The same study reported that misleading and inaccurate videos were viewed approximately 150 million times.
Increased attention to ASD will foster advocacy and understanding of ASD, and will lead to greater acceptance of individual differences. Diane Franza pediatric psychologist at Children’s Hospital of New Orleans, said misleading information online and on social media is harmful.
“The tendency to seek diagnoses to explain changes in personality and behavior prevents us from accepting the normal diversity among children and adults, and leads us to live with significant disabilities that affect many aspects of life.” ,” she told Healthline. .
Experts share the following concerns about misinformation about ASD:
Encourages inaccurate self-diagnosis
Utilizing standardized assessments performed by experts maintains the integrity of the diagnostic system and ensures that the correct individuals are identified, Franz said.
“The inherent risk of self-diagnosis is that the diagnosis is likely to be inaccurate, which could leave the person ineligible for the services they need to support them in all aspects of their lives,” she said. Stated.
O’Brien added that the diagnosis of ASD is not made instantly, but over time as therapists gather information and become familiar with their clients.
“Diagnosis is ultimately at the discretion of the therapist, but is best made as part of a conversation between therapist and client,” he said. “The situation is often further complicated when self-diagnosis contradicts the therapist’s observations.”
People can cling to misinformation
O’Brien said given the current use of algorithms by social media platforms, people are exposed to a constant stream of the same misinformation, which can deepen their obsession with that information and diagnosis.
“This can make navigating conversations around diagnosis a very difficult task for therapists, and can create power struggles between the therapist’s training and experience and the client’s social media exposure.” he stated.
He added that this is especially true for ASD, mood disorders, borderline personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder and cannabis use disorder.
weakening the official language used by mental health professionals;
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) is a handbook used by medical professionals as an authoritative guide for diagnosing mental health disorders.
“Even if we take DSM-5 at face value, it is paramount to have a shared language with very specific meanings that allows providers to communicate with each other and with their clients,” O’Brien said.
He added that the trend of self-diagnosis on social media has “watered down” the common understanding of diagnosis, especially ASD, and changed the meaning of diagnosis.
“When dealing with young people, it is now very common for them to come into admissions sessions convinced that they have bipolar disorder or autism spectrum disorder and are being ‘gaslit’ by narcissistic parents.” ,” O’Brien said. “Most of the time, they’re using these terms in a way that therapists aren’t using them.”
Downplaying the importance of an ASD diagnosis
The intensity and frequency of exposure to misinformation on social media is powerful and makes O’Brien’s clients resistant to education. It also makes visibility and advocacy difficult for certain populations, such as people living with ASD, he said.
“Self-diagnosis challenges the diagnosis made by experts and can lead to the disenfranchisement of members of these groups who have been diagnosed by experts,” he said.
Furthermore, recognizing that “everyone” has ASD makes the diagnosis less meaningful to the community of people who have struggled with dementia and adjustment.
“Furthermore, if this condition were to be treated as pervasive enough to become statistically ‘normal,’ the very need for accommodation would be undermined,” O’Brien said.
In addition to inaccurate information on social media and online, there are a plethora of reliable sources of information about mental health conditions.
“Social media itself is not the enemy,” O’Brien said. “The real threat appears to be our unquestionably naive relationship with social media and our belief that we can diagnose ourselves without consulting an expert.”
Franz recommends organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics as a resource for information about ASD and for finding providers and autism services in your area.
“You should also consult your pediatrician, who is the front-line expert in detecting concerns for autism spectrum disorder. Pediatricians are trained in screening and detecting concerns for autism spectrum disorder. “We are the leading experts in this field,” she says. “For older adults, a good starting point is to consult a medical or psychological professional.”
