Transparent but Powerful: Explainability, Accuracy, and Generalizability in ADHD Detection from Social Media Data
This work addresses the problem of underdiagnosis in ADHD by developing scalable screening tools, though it is incremental in applying existing methods to this domain.
The paper tackled ADHD detection from social media data by comparing shallow and deep learning models, finding that BiLSTM balanced interpretability and accuracy, and identified key linguistic features for cross-platform generalizability.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent mental health condition affecting both children and adults, yet it remains severely underdiagnosed. Recent advances in artificial intelligence, particularly in Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Machine Learning (ML), offer promising solutions for scalable and non-invasive ADHD screening methods using social media data. This paper presents a comprehensive study on ADHD detection, leveraging both shallow machine learning models and deep learning approaches, including BiLSTM and transformer-based models, to analyze linguistic patterns in ADHD-related social media text. Our results highlight the trade-offs between interpretability and performance across different models, with BiLSTM offering a balance of transparency and accuracy. Additionally, we assess the generalizability of these models using cross-platform data from Reddit and Twitter, uncovering key linguistic features associated with ADHD that could contribute to more effective digital screening tools.