Week July 30, 2023
Teens are turning to social media to diagnose themselves with mental health conditions
The rise of self-diagnoses — using information from the internet and social media to determine whether one suffers from a condition — epecially of mental health like autism and ADHD, has medical processionals concerned. The phenomenon is most common in teens who get information from TikTok. At times, the “content is so relatable and convincing” that people believe they have a disease even without professional discretion, according to clinical technology company Tebra.
“Teens are coming into our office with already very strong opinions about their own self-diagnosis,” Dr. Larry D. Mitnaul, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and the founder and CEO of well-being coaching company Be...