Jordan Wright

J. Courtney
English 2010
1 July 2016
ADHD Medication: A Harbinger for Addiction?
The same situation has presented itself a litany of times, if youve ever been to a college,
or even high-school aged party: an individual with easy access to Adderall announces that
theyre open for business and sells out nearly an entire bottles worth of pills in one night, even
joining in on the fun to participate in the intaking with their customers. Adderall, an
amphetamine salt designed to increase focus in those with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity
disorder, has been around since the late 90s. Its certainly not the only one of its kind to hit the
market, but it is easily one of the most effective and commonly used drugs for its purpose.
Vyvanse, Concerta, and Ritalin are just three more names on the very populated list of ADD and
ADHD medications. The National Institute of Drug Abuse has indicated as early as 2010 that the
rates of Substance Use Disorder has been rising in the United States. Not only that, but so too has
the incidence of drug prescription for stimulants. Jason Yanofski, in his journal The Dopamine
Dilemma, states the following:
Prescriptions for stimulants have increased dramatically over the last two decades.
There was a four-fold increase in the use of stimulants in children from 1987 to
1996, and more recent examination showed that this increase remains stable.
More than half of pediatric outpatient appointments where a psychiatric
medication is prescribed include a prescription for a stimulant. (1)

Due to the powerful nature of these stimulants, its important that we pore through the facts of
what theyre truly capable of and whether or not they have the potential to lead to addiction.
According to the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders),
[ADHD] is characterized by inability to sustain attention to tasks, difficulty organizing and/or
problem solving, fidgetiness, excessive motor functioning, difficulty engaging in leisure
activities, hyperactivity, and disruptive or intrusive behavior... (Nelson & Galon, 2). While the
main symptoms of ADHD have existed under multiple names for a while, it was only properly
diagnosed in the late 80s, and even then took a few years to fully manifest itself with the subsets
of predominantly inattentive type and predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type. Variations on
the name had appeared in the DSM as early as 1968 (such as hyperkinetic impulse disorder),
and Ritalin was introduced even earlier, in 1955. As medical science continues to evolve, weve
learned that those with ADHD have issues with serotonin reuptake in the form of altered
transport genes. Hyperactive-impulse types have a similar problem with dopamine (Gromisch,
1).
While it is undoubtedly true and accepted that ADHD itself is a true disorder
characterized by neurochemical imbalances, weve seen a pretty sharp rise in the number of
children diagnosed with it since the 1980s; the ratio has risen from one in twenty to one in nine
(Frye and Rodden, 1). Weve also seen pharmaceutical companies thrive on the production and
sale of prescribed stimulants. Amidst all of this, the rate of prescription drug abuse has also risen
not only in the state of Utah, but in the entire nation. It is not uncommon to see advertisements
on the sides of trains or buses illustrating the importance of not only disposing of expired and
unused medication, but also of refusing to share drugs with friends or family, no matter the
extenuating circumstances. At some point, it is important to take a step back and wonder if,

perhaps, medication is not an all-in-one solution, and it is important to consider the costs and
potential for addiction, especially now that we see the easy access that many youth have to the
drug, to the point where theyre being taken just to cram for a test or complete a twelve-page
paper in one afternoon. These, admittedly, are the least recreational and likely most sensible
reasons for the drugs use, but theyre still unprescribed, and likely dangerous in the long term.
However, even for those who are actually prescribed the drugs, the diagnosis process
comes with its own share of concerns. ADHD is diagnosed a number of ways, but one popular
method involves questionnaires given to the patient that often take hours to fill out (two such
popular questionnaires include the Conners Teacher and Parent Rating Scales). This seems like a
surprising method of diagnosis, as those with the potential for ADHD can become easily
distracted. With that being said, it is not the only method, and others include parental and teacher
interviews. A recent study found that, While the CPRS/CTRS are useful tools when used in
combination with other diagnostic measures, the specificity of this rating scale is not sufficient to
be used as the sole diagnostic instrument (Corkum and Parker, 7). The paper later goes on to
state that,...it is alarming when we consider the large percentage of clinicians relying heavily on
rating scales to diagnose ADHD (Chan et al., 2002). When we have findings like these so easily
available, its a wonder why their conclusions and implications cannot be brought to light and
then used to spurn effective change, rather than simply be largely ignored.
This is not to say that stimulants should be entirely done away with, they are certainly
effective for those who need them. At the risk of introducing bias into this report, my younger
brother was diagnosed with the predominantly inattentive type subset of ADHD when he was 15
years old. We were required to practice playing the piano when we were younger for at least 30
minutes a day, and neither of us particularly liked it. My brother, in particular, loathed the

activity, and would try to think of the craftiest ways to avoid it. After his first stimulant dose, he
practiced for 6 hours one Saturday afternoon, simply because he felt so focused and didnt want
to stop. The medication was clearly very effective, and because of that, shouldnt be
underestimated for its danger when used recreationally. When stimulants are used without a
prescription, however, they can be very unpredictable. Stimulant drug abuse packs a triplewhammy to people's decision-making abilities, hampering their reasoning and increasing
impulsive and compulsive behaviors, according to research presented at APA's 2011 Annual
Convention by Trevor W. Robbins, a behavioral and clinical neuroscientist at the University of
Cambridge in England (Dingfelder, The danger of stimulants). A large problem we encounter,
too, with these drugs, is that they have been so recently implemented with such widespread
distribution. Were only now being able the study the long term effects that these drugs have had
on both those who have used them with a physicians permission and those who have simply
gotten some from their friend. Complex dopamine theory and clinical studies suggest that
stimulant medications may have the potential to cause tolerance and dependence over time but
the data are unclear. Only time will tell what the stimulant generation will teach us about
ADHD treatment patterns over the recent decades (Yanofski, 5). Science has taught us to keep
an open mind to all possibilities. In this case, when the evidence so strongly points in the
direction of caution, it is probably best to heed it. Stimulants are useful and effective, but their
administration must be more closely monitored and considered in a way that is public-healthconscious, rather than profit-conscious. Stimulants might not always lead to addiction, but they
certainly open the door.

Works Cited
Lange, H., J. Buse, S. Bender, J. Siegert, H. Knopf, and V. Roessner. "Accident Proneness in
Children and Adolescents Affected by ADHD and the Impact of
Medication."Journal of Attention Disorders 20.6 (2014): 501-09. Print. 30 June
2016.

Nelson, Andrea, and Patricia Galon. "Exploring the Relationship Among ADHD, Stimulants, and
Substance Abuse."Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing 25.3
(2012): 113-18. Print. 29 June 2016.
Parker, A., and P. Corkum. "ADHD Diagnosis: As Simple As Administering a Questionnaire or a
Complex Diagnostic Process?"Journal of Attention Disorders 20.6 (2013): 47886. Print. 30 June 2016.
Yanoski, J. The dopamine dilemmaPart II: Could stimulants cause tolerance, dependence, and
paradoxical decompensation? Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience. Vol 8(1),
Jan, 2011. pp. 47-53. Web. 30 June 2016.
Dingfelder, S. F. The danger of stimulants American Psychological Association. October 2011,
Vol 42, No. 9. Web. 30 June 2016
Holland, K., and Higuera, V. "The History of ADHD: A Timeline."Healthline. Healthline Media.
February 26 2015. Web. 01 July 2016.
Frye, D., and Rodden, J. "Explaining the Global Rise in ADHD Diagnoses." ADDitude
Magazine. Web. 01 July 2016.
Gromisch, S. "Neurotransmitters Involved in ADHD | Psych Central."Psych Central. Psych
Central, 9 May 2016. Web. 06 July 2016.