Citation

Watson GL, Arcona AP, Antonuccio DO. Ethical Hum. Psychol. Psychiatry 2015; 17(1): 5-21.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Springer Publishing Company)

DOI

10.1891/1559-4343.17.1.5

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Medications to treat attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can increase students' ability to stay awake to cram for exams. Although popularly viewed as "academic steroids," there is no evidence that ADHD medications promote complex cognitive functioning or scholarship. To the contrary, compelling new evidence indicates that ADHD drug treatment is associated with deterioration in academic and social-emotional functioning. Yet, ADHD diagnosis and drug treatment have risen unabated for decades. Today, ADHD medications are so prevalent on college campuses that students falsely perceive these drugs as relatively benign and freely use them for nonmedical reasons, resulting in record numbers of adverse events and deaths. This article describes the nature of the ADHD drug abuse epidemic, rules some colleges have implemented to manage risk, and actions that any educational institution may consider to combat ADHD drug abuse and to promote student health and campus safety.

Language: en

Keywords

human; suicide; bipolar disorder; college student; drug abuse; Substance use disorders; Methylphenidate; prescription; fluoxetine; priority journal; hallucination; behavior therapy; paranoia; delusion; nonhuman; drug industry; drug dependence; risk benefit analysis; risperidone; drug misuse; accidental death; attention deficit disorder; methylphenidate; psychostimulant agent; cocaine dependence; tobacco dependence; dexmethylphenidate; Article; student attitude; lisdexamfetamine; amphetamine plus dexamphetamine; Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder; Prescribed stimulant drugs