"TikTok Made Me Think I Had ADHD": What Clinicians Should Know About Ethics in Client Self-Diagnosis

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 (such as those on #tiktok ) 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.
There are no known risks to attendees or patients. As with all clinical work, attendees should be thoughtful about applying clinical strategies and obtain appropriate training and supervision.
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.
About the presenter:
Laura Rowley, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist. Laura obtained her doctorate from Wayne State University. She completed her APA-accredited internship and postdoctoral fellowship at Primary Children’s Hospital. Laura 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.
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0:00 Introduction
2:00 DISCLOSURES
3:09 SOCIAL MEDIA BEHAVIORS
7:37 AN EXAMPLE: TWO VIEWPOINTS
9:18 MASS SOCIOGENIC ILLNESS
14:17 RESPONSE PAPER: HOLDING UP THE SIDE OF EMPATHY AND EMPIRICISM
16:25 VULNERABILITIES
18:06 NASW ETHICAL PRINCIPLES
18:39 THE HIPPOCRATIC OATH
20:47 TRUST IS KEY
24:26 CONFLICTS
25:16 ETHICAL DECISION MAKING
30:59 THERAPEUTIC ASSESSMENT
32:08 MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING
32:59 INTERPERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS
34:52 QUALITY OF MENTAL HEALTH INFORMATION
37:17 SOCIAL MEDIA FROM A CULTURAL LENS
39:54 CONFIDENTIALITY
40:30 MULTIPLE RELATIONSHIPS
41:10 OUR GUIDELINES