Opinion | Always Late? TikTok Thinks You Have A.D.H.D.

Self-diagnosis is surging online, with TikTok and other influencers encouraging followers to identify conditions such as ADHD and autism—sometimes through lists and symptom-matching. In a “The Opinions” episode, culture editor Nadja Spiegelman speaks with sociologist Tressie McMillan Cottom and author Mary H.K. Choi, who describes being diagnosed with ADHD and later autism in her early 40s. Choi explains how masking shaped her relationships and sense of self, and how a major loss—her father’s illness and death—triggered a major shift in perspective. The discussion weighs when labels help people understand themselves versus when they can confine them.