<p>This was on the same page as a story linked on Medscape as a word of warning to psychiatrists and other physicians;</p>
<p>Drowned in a Stream of Prescriptions</p>
<p>We have a significant travesty being done in this country with how the diagnosis is being made and the meds are being administered, said Dr. Parker, a psychiatrist in Virginia Beach. I think its an abnegation of trust. The public needs to say this is totally unacceptable and walk out.</p>
<p>Scary article, but I could not help but think there were many issues with this poor soul.</p>
<p>Yes. Crazy story.</p>
<p>I hate hearing stories that end in a teen or young adult suicide. Heartbreaking and frightening.</p>
<p>Very painful to read. The problem is that it is easy enough for anyone who is smart enough to research a condition to feign it and get the medications to treat it. It’s become a real problem that some of the effective meds out there are also the ones being most abused. An example are painkillers which are crucial for those in pain, but because of the abuse, those who need them can find it difficult to get the quantities and types they need. So it will be with Adderall and other popular drugs that have a “hot” secondary market.</p>
<p>I read this in yesterday’s Times. Very scary and very sad.</p>
<p>Hhhmmmm, cannot even imagine what will happen with medical marijuana.</p>
<p>
Yep. I wasn’t at all surprised by this: “So many fellow students had prescriptions or stashes to share, friends of Richard recalled in interviews, that guessing where he got his was futile.”</p>
<p>Duke did a survey a couple of years ago about adderall use on campus. The percentage of students using it without a prescription rose steadily for four years from 1-2% of freshmen to nearly 20% (!) of seniors, with an average of ~10%. A shocking 30-40% reported using it during midterms and finals. From what I saw, use was particularly heavy among pre-meds. (How ironic.) It’s definitely getting to be a very noticeable problem.</p>
<p>It’s been a problem for a while. I compare it to athletes taking steroids to gain an edge. It’s not only students asking for the drugs. It’s parents who feel it will give their kids an extra push/edge. When their kids no longer get straight A’s as they progress through HS (be it for normal reasons such as teenage hormonal/emotional development, more difficult subject matter, social reasons, etc.), many parents are quick to rush them to the doctor complaining about an increase in being distracted and less focused. It’s pathetic actually, but parents have a lot to do with this problem.</p>
<p>That’s awful…</p>
<p>I never even knew it was that bad. I wonder how these kids would react of they had school work and home problems to work out.</p>
<p>Study drugs are a cop out yet so prevalent.</p>
<p>There ought to be some overview of this danger during student orientation. Perhaps on a broader subject of the pitfalls of seeking short-cuts, as well.</p>
<p>D1 told me that a lot of young college women “suddenly realize” they are ADD or ADHD because they know that these drugs often depress the appetite and help control weight. These women are far less interested in getting an academic edge than they are in maintaining what might be an otherwise unrealistic weight.</p>
<p>This is scary, but what makes it worse is how casually people toss it around and how very tempting it is. I was complaining to one of my friends about the work I had and she just said- “tell your doctor you have ADD or ADHD and get some adderall. My sister takes it and it makes her focus.”</p>
<p>I’d be lying if I said I never thought about it. Our society puts so much pressure on doing well, well, WELL and being successful with a capital S and being Rich that people will do anything. For a stressed, overworked teen, one can easily see why it’d be tempting. </p>
<p>Anyway, I’m staying away because I don’t want to artificially mess with my brain chemistry- it’s too scary and also, I think it’s cheating in a way. I try to find natural stimulants, i.e. working out or getting more sleep or thinking happy thoughts to stay motivated but obviously, it’s nowhere as good as an artificial pill. In any event, there’s overuse of drugs everywhere. Prozac, alcohol, adderall, everything. For widespread drug use to decline, society and mentalities need to change as well, which will take time.</p>
<p>There’s not much they can do. There’s currently no way to diagnose attention disorders with laboratory tests, scans etc.</p>
<p>@harvestmoon, adderall is on a completely different level than pot. Adderall is similar to cocaine while pot is like a mild muscle relaxant. not saying there isn’t any drawbacks though.</p>
<p>Female, 20, Atlanta in the article was spot on. Lazy, instant gratification generation that never learned to work for anything or budget time or money is now taking the easy way out justifying it for better grades. What are they learning? That it’s OK to overlook morality, integrity, and self-control for a grade. A GRADE. Now come on.
^^^ecouter11, I totally respect what you wrote above. Keep doing the right thing.</p>
<p>This was rampant at Penn while my kid was there.</p>
<p>This subject (with a different twist) was featured on an episode of Rock Center with Brian Williams in October. There are multiple pitfalls related to the misuse of these drugs.</p>
<p>[ADHD</a> drugs become popular, dangerous study solution for students - Rock Center with Brian Williams](<a href=“NBC News - Breaking News & Top Stories - Latest World, US & Local News | NBC News”>NBC News - Breaking News & Top Stories - Latest World, US & Local News | NBC News)</p>
<p>I would guess the ‘value’ of these drugs can make it difficult for those students who actually do need them. Could be a challenge to keep them secure if others know you have them. </p>
<p>Very scary indeed.</p>
<p>This whole thing is pathetic.</p>
<p>“But I must keep up.”
Kid, there’s a plethora of ways to sharpen your mind short of giving into drugs. If you can’t do your work load unaided, cut it down. Admission to elite schools are a crapshoot anyways. Why risk one’s health for a 6% chance of gaining entry into yet another school where you can’t keep up?
Meh.</p>
<p>^^^Equipotential, you are misinformed. There is a very easy way to diagnose ADD and that is via brain wave evaluation. In ADD kids the Theta wave is almost flat indicating a ‘sleep like’ state, whereas, in non-ADD kids it is active. Stimulants activate this Theta wave in these kids which actually doesn’t stimulate them at all, it simply brings them to par which allows them to shut out the external stimuli and focus. ADD is heavily misdiagnosed today by parents that don’t want to really face the root causes of why their S or D doesn’t do well in school or simply can’t sit still. It is a very sad situation really.</p>