Bossche GZ psychologist Najla Edriouch, 37, said on Omroep Brabant’s talk show FRIDAY that misleading psychological information on social media can lead young people to diagnose themselves with conditions such as ADHD. When professional assessment later finds that a self-diagnosis is incorrect, she said, this can cause shock, disbelief and disappointment and undermine trust in the psychologist. She also warned that people with genuine problems may be taken less seriously when psychological terms are used too broadly online.

Edriouch said social media had also made it easier to discuss mental health and be vulnerable. She suggested that calling oneself a psychologist without BIG registration should be made a criminal offence, noting that the registration requires evidence of keeping professional knowledge and skills up to date. She cited research into the 133 most-viewed autism videos, of which 27 percent reportedly contained accurate information.