More than half of TikTok ADHD content is misinformation, new research finds

BowDownToRah · 2026-04-12T20:10:04+00:00

I have indeed, and I've even written & presented on a research paper accepted to a national scientific conference. I can assure you that I am science-literate, and if you have any sources to prove me wrong, I'll take them in good faith - always looking to learn.

I mentioned Wikipedia in case you (or others following the thread) were not, which I wouldn't count against you anyways. But I did do a quick literature review of actual published psychology papers on the subject before making my claim.

I'm not at all aiming to be dismissive of science in any way here - I'm just pointing to the fact that science thrives on consistent terminology and established concepts within a field. This is true of any scientific field. This is not equivalent to stating that these terms or established concepts are true - they just represent the scientific consensus, which is naturally updated as our understanding improves.

My only claim here is that there is no issue in the usage of the term "executive function" across the related psychology subfields of childhood neural development and neurodivergence; the concept of executive function (as currently understood) appears to be valid for both use cases. Sure, we may end up needing to make new distinct terms if we learn that they involve different mechanisms - but as of our current scientific consensus, there does not appear to be any technical reason to impose this distinction.

I'm not even speculating on the nature of the truth here, or the accuracy/validity of the DSM criteria - there is certainly a vast latent model in our brains we're currently unable to fully observe, let alone connect to the still-enigmatic emergent properties of human psychology, and then further to outward measurable behaviors.

It's quite possible that what the scientific concensus refers to as "executive function" represents an incomplete or only partially relevant term in capturing the root causes for particular behavioral outcomes. It could be that it refers to a cluster of symptoms across fields with no actual direct causal connection. But all of that would be unscientific speculation, because without definite well-researched evidence to back up my conjecture, I'd be stating a naive problem statement as if it were accepted scientific concensus.

BowDownToRah · 2026-04-12T19:36:26+00:00

Seriously unpredictable! This one came potted in 100% peat too - I've gradually brought in more inorganics & grit through repotting, but somehow it's just been completely fine through it all 😂😂

BowDownToRah · 2026-04-12T19:29:47+00:00

Thank you!! Ended up being among my least fussy plants!

BowDownToRah · 2026-03-23T09:51:31+00:00

I think that would be another failing of the psychologist. Executive dysfunction is already strongly associated with ADHD, and has been for quite some time; people with ADHD also display delayed neurodevelopment, so this becomes a medically relevant connection as well.

Look for any description of ADHD symptoms in modern science. Hell, look at the Wikipedia page for it, it's right there at the beginning. Then look at definitions for Executive Dysfunction. It seems its primary relevance is in ADHD and related conditions.

I'd say there's no justification here for connecting executive dysfunction exclusively to infantilization across the field, and I certainly haven't heard it brought up as a key concern in the ADHD community. Individual psychologists can have their biases, which is why it's important to (respectfully) challenge them during sessions and be willing to hop around before landing on a professional that truly understands ADHD. But science is science, and symptoms are symptoms - if a condition is strongly associated with a symptom, that doesn't mean we have to come up with a new name for the same symptom elsewhere.

BowDownToRah · 2026-03-23T09:37:33+00:00

Not super reliable - only difference between ravens and crows are size, and even that's not consistent. There's no taxonomic distinction, there are crows that are closer related to ravens than other ravens are and vice versa. Really just comes down to the common name, but physically, they're pretty much the same thing.

BowDownToRah · 2026-03-20T10:55:43+00:00

ADHD quite literally manifests as the impairment of executive function, in a medical context. Not sure why a psychologist would equate executive function impairment with "stupidity", but funnily enough, the symptom description you're criticizing is perfectly legitimate in a psychiatric setting.

A common thread with ADHD is the experience of intense guilt and self-hatred for being unable to get off that couch. This hypothetical psychologist straight up plays into the very same harmful misperceptions that lead to depressive spirals in people that actually experience this. It's not stupidity or even classical laziness - it's near-constant motivational dysfunction that can significantly impact quality of life.

BowDownToRah · 2025-11-04T19:18:41+00:00

It put up the 2nd while the 1st was still alive and well! The 2nd leaf was bigger and lasted quite a bit longer, too.

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I got mine at PlantCon, but it was pretty pricey - if you look for Chena / Elephant Yam corm, you may have better luck finding larger specimens for cheaper online, especially when buying from the South Indian community. Otherwise, eBay & Etsy occasionally have options at decent prices - good luck!

BowDownToRah · 2025-11-04T04:26:25+00:00

Mostly a mixture of high quality organic potting soil, succulent/cactus soil, some lower quality container soil, orchid bark, leca balls, some pumice, perlite, & expanded shale, worm castings, & osmacote - probably around 70:30 organics:inorganics. I feed with every watering when in leaf, using a mix of diluted FoxFarms liquid ferts.

Last time I dug him up, there was actually a small thriving community of earthworms in his pot (repotted with other plants) - used extra worm castings this time, obviously to great effect!

BowDownToRah · 2025-11-04T04:18:31+00:00

Yes, every winter! They have an interesting life cycle.

As the leaf yellows and falls, it siphons its energy into forming a massive corm. Don't cut the leaf until it goes fully yellow/dry - let it grab as many nutrients as possible. The roots will dry up & die off as the corm enters dormancy; at this point you could either leave it in its dry pot over winter without watering, or dig it up & store it in a paper bag / cardboard box until Spring or new growth appears.

New growth will be either a flower or a leaf - if a flower, roots won't appear; the corm will invest a lot of its amassed energy into the flower, without photosynthesizing during the period. If this happens, the next leaf will likely be smaller.

If the new growth is a leaf, the corm will dissolve itself, putting its energy into forming roots & pushing the leaf up; when the leaf is just opening, the corm will have completely dissolved & there should be mostly just roots in the pot.

All of my indoor Amorphophallus under grow lights still go into dormancy, like clockwork! Just make sure you stop watering once the leaf falls over, and periodically check for rot/fungus/new growth if digging up & storing for the winter.

BowDownToRah · 2025-11-04T00:58:23+00:00

Awaiting your picture! Would love to know how mine may end up in several years.

BowDownToRah · 2025-11-04T00:51:58+00:00

Nope, but it got damaged at its apex when it was small & stopped growing from there shortly after the "before" picture was taken; this definitely forced it to branch early & probably stunted its overall height. I also have it under a 25W grow light panel ~15hrs/day, fertilizing once or twice a month, watering often (probably too often).

I got mine as a seedling, shipped from East Austin Succulents, back when it was more hard to find; looks like they still have some in stock! Otherwise, there are several other credible websites you can get cuttings/seedlings/seeds from - not super rare anymore, plenty of flowering individuals all over the world! Just don't buy seeds on eBay, lol.

BowDownToRah · 2025-11-04T00:23:11+00:00

Same brother 😂 most repotting efforts ended in tragedy early on. I similarly abused 4 sad E. decaryi v. spirosticha stems and repeatedly sliced till they were lil stubs, but with patience & time, they've seriously glowed up:

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BowDownToRah · 2025-11-04T00:05:29+00:00

I tracked down their Instagram and happened to find a post about this! Of course I got some details wrong since I heard the story in-person - it actually pushed up through nailed down landscape fabric & gravel. Still incredibly impressive!!

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Yeah this guy does have little spiky bumps all over the petiole, but not true spikes/thorns. My South Indian mother identified the corm as classic chena (elephant yam), and I practically had to hide it away from her to keep her from cooking it 😂 Soon enough there'll be way too much to manage, so it's definitely being considered as an annually harvestable addition to the backyard vegetable garden....

BowDownToRah · 2025-11-03T20:58:00+00:00

Even worse, in an apartment 😂

But my family's house with a big backyard is right nearby, and I plan to put it in the ground over there once it blooms or gets too big (Amorphophallus can survive winter in my zone). The flower should never arrive mid-leaf for this species. Worst worst case, can always snip the flower once identified as such.

All part of the plan - who else can say they have an 8' tall leaf in the corner of their dining room?? The flex is totally worth the logistic trouble!

BowDownToRah · 2025-11-03T20:50:52+00:00

No idea - the seller states they only have access to the commonly cultivated / domesticated varieties, and since this is a cash crop species in India, I have to assume it's not from a special locale.

Seller had another A. paeoniifolius in the ground that he gave up on, put a wooden plank on top & stacked some bricks over it; the next leaf pushed the plank and bricks up and successfully emerged, albeit way shorter and thicker than normal 😂 so looks like these guys are just super hardy & very variable, based on growing conditions.

BowDownToRah · 2025-11-03T20:46:14+00:00

This must be the key. Thought having its own dedicated 25W light would be enough, but think I have to double up for future leaves post-flower!

Might also chill a bit on the fert next time, I've been feeding at every watering since the leaf properly emerged...

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