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Charities working with ADHD and autism are warning of a steep rise in the numbers of people using short videos on social media to self-diagnose themselves with the conditions.<\/p>\n
Content about autism, dyslexia and ADHD is big business on social media, with more than 20 billion views for #ADHD and a similar number for #autism on TikTok alone.<\/p>\n
Whilst social media has been lauded for raising awareness of neurodiverse conditions, there are worries people could be misinterpreting symptoms for other issues, and missing out on the help and support they are entitled to.<\/p>\n
Charities, including ADHD-UK, say long waiting lists for official assessments are the issue, with average wait times for an ADHD assessment taking between two and three years.<\/p>\n
Psychologists warn only an official diagnosis can give people access to the appropriate help and treatment.<\/p>\n
Produced, filmed and edited by Ben Moore<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n
Produced by Sue Paz<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n
Follow BBC South on <\/i>Facebook<\/a>, <\/i>Twitter<\/a>, or <\/i>Instagram<\/a>. Send your story ideas to <\/i>south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n