Societal perspective on ADHD

Current societal perspective on ADHD and the impact of this attitude on peoples’ lives with ADHD

There are currently two dominant societal perspectives that affect how people with ADHD are perceived and treated. This website explores the impact of both by drawing on existing research and our own findings. To give better understanding we will first have an overview of the focus of existing research we used and our own research focus:

Overview existing research

Our research focus

We conducted in-depth interviews with diagnosed individuals of different genders and backgrounds. We also gathered survey responses from 37 students (ages mostly 17–24) from various nationalities. While not representative of all societal views, this gave us broader insight into the perception of ADHD.

P1-How do societal views impact social life and self-image of people with ADHD?

Impact of Teachers’ perspective of ADHD

Misconceptions about ADHD also shape teacher-student relationships. As one participant stated:”Teachers say I’m lazy… they don’t understand ADHD.” This reflects Bisset et al.’s (2022) finding that children with ADHD are often more harshly evaluated by teachers, even when their academic performance is similar to others. These attitudes, even when expressed through small comments or patterns of treatment, accumulate and negatively impact mental health and self-perception.

Internalized Stigma and Coping

Bisset et al. (2022) describe how people with ADHD often feel inadequate, incompetent, or unable to meet expectations, leading to a negative self-image. Our findings confirm this: many participants felt pressured by societal standards of “normal” behavior, which they found difficult to achieve. One participant said: “It’s hard to study. Six hours becomes two productive hours… it doesn’t feel great”. Another reported feelings of “disappointment, shame almost and just getting tired of yourself”. This internalization can profoundly shape self-perception, especially during childhood, where one participant identified only with “troublemaker” characters who “couldn’t sit still.”
Self-blame was also common, with participants feeling they should “try harder to get themselves together.”

However, some reported learning to cope with negative attitudes over time, developing self-acceptance and forgiveness. One participant reflected, “Now I see it as part of me. I’ve gotten better each year.” Another stated, “I can forgive myself more now… I know why it happens.” Despite this progress, others expressed resignation and a loss of faith in society’s willingness to understand, saying, “I have kind of given up on trying to make people understand.” Other coping strategies included rejecting the ADHD label or avoiding behaviors that might “expose” them (Bisset et al., 2022). Interestingly, however, we found that sharing the diagnosis could also foster understanding, though in some cases, the stigma persisted or worsened, as seen in teacher-student relationships.

P1-How are boys and girls with ADHD perceived differently by society and what are the consequences of this?

According to Young et al. (2020), girls with ADHD often suppress or mask symptoms, due to societal expectations that they be calm and well-behaved . The “hyperactive profile” is more commonly associated with boys, so girls’ more subtle or internalized symptoms are often overlooked or misinterpreted (Young et al., 2020). As a result, girls receive diagnosis and medical treatment at a much older age than boys (Rapoport & Groenmann, 2025).
One female participant explained: “I'm a woman and I've been raised to suppress that part…be more calm and not make a scene.”

Boys, while more likely to have their symptoms recognized, may also feel pressure to regulate behaviors like impulsivity, as our interviews revealed. Additionally, our survey found that 50% of participants agreed it was significantly more difficult for females to get an ADHD diagnosis, while 30% were neutral. One participant reflected on this bias in the healthcare system, stating: “Everything felt built for me. I know it’s harder for girls.” This underdiagnosis in girls is problematic because detection is essential for increasing societal understanding and reducing stigma (Young et al., 2020).

P2-Does Tiktok help to reduce the negative stigma toward people with ADHD or reinforce it?

Since ADHD is the seventh most popular health-related hashtag on TikTok (Leveille, 2024, citing Yeung et al., 2022), the platform plays a significant role in both reflecting and shaping public narratives.

Positive effects

TikTok enables individuals with ADHD to share and connect over personal experiences through engaging, often humorous videos (what Leveille (2024) describes as “performances”). This content not only fosters individual recognition and validation, as one participant noted: “When I do see someone venting online, I do feel seen”, but also shapes the “collective-meaning” of ADHD in society (Leveille, 2024, p. 2).



Additionally, TikTok helps people with ADHD build supportive networks and find community through shared “identity signifiers” (Leveille, 2024). Participants highlighted the value of this connection: “it’s nice to try to find your people,” and “it gives a lot of hope, because you’re like, okay, I can find my people and then I won’t have to be so misunderstood.” These findings underscore TikTok’s role in both individual empowerment and broader societal understanding of ADHD.

P2-What role does the term ”neurodivergence” play in societal discourse?

Neurodivergence, as defined by recent studies (Leveille, 2024), refers to a person whose brain functions differently from what is considered typical, encompassing both self-identified individuals and those with a diagnosis. The term emphasizes diversity in thinking and experience, rather than viewing differences as deficits. ADHD is one of many conditions included in neurodivergence.

On TikTok, neurodivergence shapes the “collective identity” of people with ADHD (Leveille, 2024), influencing how society views the disorder.
The concept’s emphasis on a spectrum of traits challenges strict medical definitions and fosters inclusivity. As one participant noted, “everyone to an extent is neurodivergent,” opening the door to “a new perspective where it's not—normal or not normal—it's not black and white.” This can reduce negative labeling and acknowledge the complexity of ADHD.

However, Leveille (2024) notes that neurodivergence on TikTok is often used for self-representation and identity construction. Part of this representation online, according to our interviewees, is to emphasize certain traits like “thinking creatively and out of the box” while downplaying less common or negative aspects: “It’s not the absolute negatives that come from it because a lot of those negatives aren’t very as common.”
While neurodivergence helps build community and normalizes diverse ADHD experiences, it must also be critically examined (Leveille, 2024). By focusing on inclusion and common traits, the term risks diluting society’s understanding of ADHD and trivializing its symptoms. Additionally, the selective representation of ADHD content on TikTok may exclude those whose experiences are more severe or less visible.

Conclusion

There needs to be a balanced understanding of ADHD in society, that incorporates perspectives informed by neurodivergence and moves beyond strictly medical definitions. Our research, alongside prior studies (Bisset et al., 2022), confirms persistent negative attitudes toward ADHD and the impact they have on people’s lives with ADHD.
Recognizing the diverse experiences behind medical categories is crucial. Platforms like TikTok can help broaden public understanding and foster open conversations, promoting a more nuanced and accepting view of ADHD. However, medical diagnostic criteria remain essential, and the accuracy of ADHD content on TikTok must be critically analyzed. The purpose of self-disclosed videos should also be questioned: Do they authentically represent all voices and experiences, or primarily serve identity construction?
We argue that ongoing dialogue between scientific and societal perspectives is needed to address gaps in support and identify mistreatment. This exchange can lead to a more inclusive and accurate understanding of ADHD and those affected by it. As one participant insightfully remarked: “It's a disorder in this system and it's hard for me to say like, would I still think of it as a disability if the world was structured in a way that better supports me?” This reminds us that how we define ADHD, and who we include in that definition, is ultimately a reflection of the kind of society we choose to build.