Tik-Tok Made Me Think I have ADHD:” What Clinicians Should Know About Their Ethical Obligations in Client Self-Diagnosis
At the conclusion of this presentation, attendees should be able to identify the evidence based for how social media use has contributed to diagnostic presentations in adolescents and young adults, and how their ethical obligations intersect with their clinical relationship in supporting individuals obtaining the right help for them.
Social media has been a place for people, especially teens and young adults, to have a safe space for connecting with others with aligned interests and perspectives. In recent years, social media creators have centered content on mental health, which has started important conversations in reducing stigma and has enabled others to learn about mental health disorders and get support from peers going through similar experiences. However, social media can be a hotbed for spreading misinformation. Clinicians have noticed a spike in young people presenting with self-diagnosed disorders, especially, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), tics and Tourette’s, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), dissociative identity disorder (DID), and personality disorders. But they are at a loss as to how to accurately assess these conditions when their clients come in with strong attachments to particular diagnoses and recite well-studied clinical criteria. In this talk, we will discuss the current research on the benefits and harms of mental health social media content and how clinicians can balance their ethical responsibilities and the client-practitioner relationship in assessing clients. There will also be a discussion of how clinicians can engage in effective outreach in supporting access to evidence-based, reliable information to teens and young adults searching for help. Throughout the presentation, there will be space for questions and attendee participation.
Laura Rowley, Ph.D., licensed clinical psychologist. Dr. Rowley obtained her doctorate from Wayne State University. She completed her APA-accredited internship and postdoctoral fellowship at Primary Children’s Hospital. Dr. Rowley is currently the Program Director for the Assessment and Testing Team at Utah Center for Evidence Based Treatment, where she specializes in testing services for neurodiverse children and adults.
Citations:
Geidinghagen, A. The tic in TikTok and (where) all systems go: Mass social media induced illness and Munchausen’s by internet as explanatory models for social media associated abnormal illness behavior. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 2022. doi.org/10.1177/13591045221098522
Additional Citations:
American Psychological Association. (2017). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct (2002, amended effective June 1, 2010, and January 1, 2017). https://www.apa.org/ethics/code/
Drude, K. & Messer-Engel, K. The Development of Social Media Guidelines for Psychologists and for Regulatory Use. J Technol Behav Sci. 2021; 6(2): 388–396. Published online 2020 Nov 2. doi: 10.1007/s41347-020-00176-1
