Jeremy Ayotte

ENC 2135

Professor Whitney Gilchrist

26 February 2017

The Epidemic of College Students and Illicit Prescription Stimulant Medications

Finals week, arguably the most stressful time for students at colleges and universities all

throughout the United States. Frantically trying to cram as much information as possible within

what seems like such a short period of time becomes overwhelming and takes a toll on the mind.

Study areas littered with coffee cups, Five Hour Energy, Monster, and Red bull cans arent out of

the ordinary considering it alleviates some of the sleepiness and keeps students more alert than

they would be without it. Forget about sleep, final exams will keep you up until the crack of

dawn. However, within the last decade, an increasing number of students across the nation have

turned to a little pill that keeps them alert, focused, and tuned into their studies for hours on end.

The epidemic of study drugs or smart drugs as theyre known on campus has been blown out

of proportion in recent years according to professionals. Prescription stimulant medications like

Adderall, Vyvanse, Ritalin, etc. are what students turn to when finals week finally hits. These

medications are FDA approved and used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity disorder, also

known as ADHD, so what risks could possibly be associated with it? As smart as they may be,

after all, they did make it to college, college students seem to be oblivious to the fact that the

illicit use of stimulant medications is not as harmless as they think and there are many serious

health complications that go unlooked.

ADHD is a brain disorder that has been known about for decades but despite its

whereabouts, scientists and professionals are still baffled and know very little about it to this day.
Its believed that in order to receive a diagnosis, an individual must exhibit traits associated with

ADHD as young as 3 years old all the way up until about 12 years old. Often, these symptoms

move into adulthood. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 60% of

children who had the disorder still have it as adults today. Thats approximately eight million

U.S. adults. ADHD is broken down into two different types and people can be diagnosed with

either one or both. The first is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, more commonly known

as ADHD in which individuals can be thought of an extrovert. ADHD is most common among

children and is easily recognizable with traits of hyperactivity and impulsivity. A child

diagnosed with ADHD can be described as having an internal motor that keeps them on the go,

extremely talkative, often blurting out at inappropriate times, and difficulty waiting his/her turn

while in line. Contrarily, a person with ADD can be thought of as an introvert. ADD mainly

revolves around inattention. A person struggles with concentration, organization, completing

tasks whether at work or school, and constantly losing their belongings. If diagnosed with

ADHD as a child, he/she will often portray traits more similarly associated with ADD because

they learn through experience that they cant constantly be getting up and moving around at

inappropriate times, especially while at work. This often leads to fidgeting and other little ticks

like tapping a pencil.

In order to receive a proper diagnosis from a doctor or psychiatrist, patients must go

through a thorough evaluation. However, its often very difficult to make a diagnosis of ADHD

because there isnt a single test, brain scan, or fine line that can determine if an individual

actually has it. Diagnosing a child seems to be easier because symptoms are often very

noticeable. But theres a decent percent who went under the radar of parents and teachers, not

even realizing they have ADHD until they hit adulthood. For adults, a diagnosis is a lot more
challenging. First, its crucial that symptoms of ADHD are chronic and were noticeable as a kid.

Another key point in a diagnosis is that is must be affecting that persons everyday life, not just

coming and going. Its vital that doctors and psychiatrists really go in-depth when evaluating a

patient, looking into past academic and work history, social and relationship history, as well as

mental health because these indicators have been linked to ADHD.

If doctors are supposed to be so tedious with their diagnosis, why have ADHD

diagnosiss skyrocketed in the United States over the past years? Fingers point to doctors,

politics, and culture according to one study conducted by Stephen Hinshaw, a psychologist at

Berkeley, and Dr. Richard Scheffler, a health economist. They both sat down and examined data

sponsored by the CDC and conducted by the National Survey of Childrens Health which

discovered that there was a 22% increase in ADHD diagnosis from 2003 to 2007. The 22%

increase was found when they looked at the percentages of children aged 4 to 17 who were

diagnosed with ADHD. 7.8% were diagnosed in 2003 and by 2007 it rose to 9.5% explaining

how they saw the overall 22% increase in just four years. But why was there huge leap in the

percentage? After meticulously studying the data, it seems to them that new state laws were the

culprit. Thirty states, including all southern states, passed consequential accountability laws

back in the 90s. In a nutshell, these new laws made it so that schools would be funded based off

academic performance in standardized tests rather than funding them for the amount of kids that

attended the school. This put a lot of pressure on schools because the amount of money they

received was now relied on students academic performance on tests. In an effort to boost

standardized test scores, Hinshaw and Scheffler proposed that teachers and schools started

having kids tested for ADHD in hopes that the medication would help improve focus and test

scores. In certain states, schools were even allowed to take children whom had been diagnosed
out of the pool of students that were calculated for test scores so it wouldnt go against them.

Then, when the No Child Left Behind act was passed, it affected the other twenty states the same

way it did when the consequential accountability laws were passed. When Hinshaw and

Scheffler crunched the numbers to find out how many kids had been diagnosed, they discovered

a 59% increase in diagnoses among the United States poorest kids but only an increase of 3% of

students who came from middle-upper class families. Overall, they noted a 20% increase in

other states which is thought to be the national average.

Why even send kids to get prescribed? Do prescription stimulant medications like

Adderall, Vyvanse, and Ritalin actually make a person smarter? The answer is no and heres the

explanation behind it. The reason doctors and psychiatrists prescribe these medications to those

affected by ADHD is because someone who has ADHD has irregular levels of brain chemicals,

specifically dopamine, compared to someone who doesnt. Stimulant medications like Adderall

boost the brains dopamine levels and help them bind to receptors in the brain, balancing out the

levels of brain chemicals. For a person with ADHD, stimulant medications have a calming effect

and it allows them to focus on one thing at a time without constantly getting distracted. Since a

person who doesnt have ADHD has a balanced level of brain chemicals, taking a stimulant

medication increases their dopamine levels higher than what its supposed to be, giving them a

rush of energy and a feeling of euphoria.