More than half of the the mental health and neurodivergence posts a study examined contained misinformation.

Misinformation matters as it can delay treatment, increase stigma, and send people down unhelpful paths.

Repetition of information, even if not in line with science, can make it feel credible.

When a clinical professional (e.g., doctor, psychologist, or other licensed mental health therapist) is also a social media “influencer,” how do you react? Our brains often respond to information with some sort of bias or judgment; notice what yours says.

I’ve heard a wide range of perspectives—from strongly supportive to skeptical. Even my own thinking has moved all over the place. I avoided even using my title of “therapist” on social media until needed for marketing when I was releasing my first book in 2021. But a new study has increased my support of professionals sharing guidance and information on TikTok, Instagram, or other networking sites (Carter et al., 2026). Heck, the authors specifically call for clinicians and organizations to share more evidence-based content online to help counter misinformation.

The 2026 study by Carter and colleagues included 27 studies (more than 5,000 posts) and revealed the following regarding “misinformation”—scientifically unsupported, inaccurate, or misleading information—related to mental health and neurodivergence:

It is widespread on social media. Some categories of content showed rates above 50 percent. (Imagine if your primary care doctor was wrong this often…)

TikTok—an especially popular source of health information (Kirkpatrick et al., 2024)—showed the highest misinformation rates, more than YouTube, Facebook, and other platforms, with 52 percent of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) videos and 41 percent of autism-related videos classified as misinformation.

Why Accurate Guidance and Information Matter

As a mental health clinician, I know that accurate health information is vital. A matched diagnosis-to-problem can create the path to potentially effective treatment. For example, let’s say you have obsessive-compulsive disorder but gleaned from online that ADHD was your match: How might that affect your path to relief?

If convinced of the ADHD diagnosis, you might delay........

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