Self-Disclosure

The act of voluntarily revealing personal information about oneself, including disability status, health conditions, professional credentials, or lived experiences. In online disability communities, self-disclosure serves multiple functions: it builds trust and community connection, establishes authority through lived experience, and helps others recognize their own experiences. For ADHD content creators, self-disclosure of their ADHD status is particularly common on TikTok (69.5% of creators), fostering close-knit communities. However, self-disclosure also carries risks including stigma, privacy concerns, and potential oversimplification of complex conditions.