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People with self-diagnosed ADHD report more negative self-image and more internalized stigma than clinically diagnosed individuals, and are more likely to seek social validation, per analysis of 450,000 ADHD sub-reddit posts

10.01.25 | PLOS

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Seeking validation in the digital age: The impact of validation seeking on self-image and internalized stigma among self- vs. clinically diagnosed individuals on r/ADHD
People with self-diagnosed ADHD report more negative self-image and more internalized stigma than clinically diagnosed individuals. Credit: Hiki App, Unsplash, CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)

People with self-diagnosed ADHD report more negative self-image and more internalized stigma than clinically diagnosed individuals, and are more likely to seek social validation, per analysis of 450,000 ADHD sub-reddit posts

Article URL : http://plos.io/4plEDJz

Article title: Seeking validation in the digital age: The impact of validation seeking on self-image and internalized stigma among self- vs. clinically diagnosed individuals on r/ADHD

Author countries: U.S., China

Funding: The author(s) received no specific funding for this work.

PLOS One

10.1371/journal.pone.0331856

Seeking validation in the digital age: The impact of validation seeking on self-image and internalized stigma among self- vs. clinically diagnosed individuals on r/ADHD

1-Oct-2025

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Keywords

Attention Deficit Disorder Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Cognitive Development Cognitive Psychology Learning Disabilities Psychological Science Social Sciences

Article Information

Journal
PLOS One
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0331856
Article Publication Date
2025-10-01
Article Title
Seeking validation in the digital age: The impact of validation seeking on self-image and internalized stigma among self- vs. clinically diagnosed individuals on r/ADHD
COI Statement
The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Contact Information

Hanna Abdallah
PLOS
onepress@plos.org

How to Cite This Article

APA:
PLOS. (2025, October 1). People with self-diagnosed ADHD report more negative self-image and more internalized stigma than clinically diagnosed individuals, and are more likely to seek social validation, per analysis of 450,000 ADHD sub-reddit posts. Brightsurf News. https://www.brightsurf.com/news/LQ4VYNN8/people-with-self-diagnosed-adhd-report-more-negative-self-image-and-more-internalized-stigma-than-clinically-diagnosed-individuals-and-are-more-likely-to-seek-social-validation-per-analysis-of-450000.html
MLA:
"People with self-diagnosed ADHD report more negative self-image and more internalized stigma than clinically diagnosed individuals, and are more likely to seek social validation, per analysis of 450,000 ADHD sub-reddit posts." Brightsurf News, Oct. 1 2025, https://www.brightsurf.com/news/LQ4VYNN8/people-with-self-diagnosed-adhd-report-more-negative-self-image-and-more-internalized-stigma-than-clinically-diagnosed-individuals-and-are-more-likely-to-seek-social-validation-per-analysis-of-450000.html.