Marketing Trends And Mental Health Symptoms
How many of our symptoms and their understanding influenced by movies, commercials and social media
7/11/20262 min read
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When Mental Health Meets Marketing- Understanding ADHD treatment
A Reflection Inspired by a Recent U.S. Department of Justice Case
Zlataoslava Karga, DNP, PMHNP-BC
Board-Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Karga Psychiatric Nursing
Reference:
U.S. Department of Justice – Founder, CEO, and Clinical President of Digital Health Company Sentenced to 8 Years for $90 Million Scheme
Today I read about a large telehealth company’s executives being sentenced after federal prosecutors concluded they built a business model around rapidly diagnosing ADHD and distributing millions of stimulant prescriptions while prioritizing growth over careful medical assessment. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the company spent millions of dollars on social media advertising designed to convince people they had ADHD, while many patients reportedly had other conditions such as anxiety, depression, trauma, bipolar disorder, or sleep problems that could produce similar symptoms.
Reading this made me reflect on something I discuss with my patients almost every day.
Social media is incredibly powerful. Influencers, advertisements, and short videos can make complicated medical conditions seem simple. A thirty-second clip may convince someone, “That’s me—I must have ADHD.” Sometimes they’re right. Sometimes they’re not.
The challenge is that many mental health conditions overlap.
Difficulty concentrating is not unique to ADHD. It can also occur with anxiety, depression, chronic stress, unresolved trauma, panic disorder, poor sleep, obstructive sleep apnea, thyroid disorders, anemia, perimenopause, vitamin deficiencies, chronic pain, substance use, and many other medical or psychiatric conditions. The symptom may look the same, but the underlying cause—and therefore the treatment—may be completely different.
This is why psychiatric evaluation is much more than checking boxes on a questionnaire. My job is to understand the whole person before deciding which diagnosis best explains the symptoms.
Stimulant medications such as Adderall, Vyvanse, Concerta, and Ritalin are among the most effective treatments available for appropriately diagnosed ADHD. For many people, these medications are truly life-changing. However, they are also Schedule II controlled substances, meaning they require careful prescribing, ongoing monitoring, and thoughtful reassessment because they carry risks of misuse, dependence, diversion, and adverse effects when used inappropriately.
Some patients wonder why I reassess ADHD symptoms during follow-up visits instead of simply sending another prescription.
The answer is simple: good psychiatric care requires ongoing evaluation.
At each visit, we ask important questions:
• Is this medication still treating ADHD?
• Have anxiety, depression, sleep problems, hormonal changes, or life stress become the bigger issue?
• Are side effects developing?
• Is the medication still improving daily functioning?
• Is it appropriate to continue this treatment, or should we reassess the diagnosis or treatment approach?
Sometimes we even discuss whether a planned stimulant break or medication reassessment is appropriate. Not because stimulant medications are “bad,” but because periodically stepping back helps us confirm that we are treating the right condition for the right reasons.
One of the greatest lessons from this case is not to fear psychiatric medications—it is to respect them.
Mental health deserves thoughtful evaluation, not marketing.
Diagnoses should come from careful clinical assessment, not social media algorithms or advertising campaigns. Treatment should always be individualized, regularly reassessed, and guided by what truly benefits the patient—not by what is easiest to prescribe or easiest to sell.
As medicine continues to evolve, my hope is that we all become better at asking not only, “What medication do I need?” but also, “What is really causing my symptoms?” Sometimes the answer is ADHD. Sometimes it isn’t. Taking the time to understand the difference is one of the most important parts of good psychiatric care.