Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
to medicate or not adhd
to medicate or not adhd
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: to medicate or not adhd
At the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, suppose an athlete had been found using steroids or other performance enhancing drugs to ensure a better outcome in competition. Their awards would be stripped away, and their name sullied for the world to see. Halfway across the world, in a tiny dormitory room of a prestigious college, an overwhelmed and under pressure freshman student turns to drugs as well. The drugs are not methamphetamines or cocaine, but a tiny pill obtained from a helpful friend with ADHD. With an unfinished paper due in the morning, the student ingests the Adderall pill and their energy and focus increases. In the morning, the triumphant student shows up to class and turns in a completed essay. The paper is returned with an “A”. Amazed by the results, the student begins taking the pill for other academic and social obligations with limited to no negative repercussions. Increasingly over the past few years, drugs such as Adderall, Ritalin, or modafinil (Provigil)—originally intended for those with ADD or ADHD—are being used by healthy students to improve their cognitive abilities with minimal consequences.
While established for the treatment of attention hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy, people in schools and the workforce are turning to these amphetamines to work for longer periods of time, produce higher quality work, remain alert and focused for hours on end. The drugs accomplish this, because they “increase levels of dopamine…in the brain—and the alertness and wakefulness of those taking them” (Nixey 2). The growing stress on people to accomplish enormous amounts of first-rate work is forcing them to resort to an easy solution. Often it is not people who are failing at school or work that are looking to i...
... middle of paper ...
.../students-drugs-modafinil-ritalin>.
Schwarz, Alan. “Drowned in a Stream of Prescriptions.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 2 Feb. 2013. Web. 21 Jan 2014. .
Sweeney, Sarah. "The Use of Prescription Drugs for Academic Performance Enhancement in College Aged Students.” Social Work Theses.Paper 48, 2010. 1-38. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. .
Talbot, Margaret. "Brain Gain." The New Yorker. The New Yorker, 27 Apr. 2009. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. .
Weber, Rebecca L. "A Drug Kids Take in Search of Better Grades." The Christian Science Monitor. The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Nov. 2004. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. .
Dr. John Abramson’s book Overdosed America debunks the myths about the excellence of American medicine. Abramson backs up this claim by closely examining research about medicine, closely examining the unpublished details submitted by drug manufacturers to the FDA, and discovering that the unpublished data does not coincide with the claims made about the safety and effectiveness of commonly used medicines. Abramsons purpose is to point out the flaws of the pharmaceutical industry in order to warn the readers about the credibility of the drugs they are buying. Given the critical yet technical language of the book, Abramson is writing to an audience that may include academic physicians as well as those who want to learn about the corruption of the pharmaceutical industry.
The need for Ritalin and other CNS stimulants arises from a decreased amount of dopamine—a hormone closely linked to the motivational process((3)). A deficiency of this hormone can lead to difficulty in focusing and agitated behavior, among other traits1 ((1)). Methylphenidate, serving as a stimulant, augments the release of this hormone. The resulting state is similar to that after caffeine, on a milder scale, or amphetamines1 ((1)). This attribute can lead to the somewhat addictive nature of the drug.
Another persuasive technique we used was appealing to dramatic benefits of the post-treatment of adderall by having a student imitate exaggerated behaviors of short attention span and impulsive nature that resulted in poor grades. Then after the same student takes adderall, he portrays a completely different character and becomes very attentive and productive in his studies, which results to an A in his next assignment. This is critical in Singh’s “Not Just Naughty: 50 years of stimulant drug advertising”, as he emphasizes how drug advertisements commonly present a post-treatment normal reality of highly idealized “portrait of an ideal family—bright, at...
Like Jason, more and more children are being diagnosed with ADHD or its less hyperactive cousin, attention deficit disorder (ADD). And, correspondingly, during the past decade the production of stimulants used to treat ADD has risen dramatically, (see Graph 1.). However, an increasing number of parents, doctors, and public health officials are becoming alarmed about the jump in the use of Ritalin and amphetamines to treat ADD. In the last year, at least three prestigious medical journals published articles examining whether the condition is being overdiagnosed and American children are being drugged unnecessarily, (N...
But Brown is not part of this 3-5% of the population. For Brown and others without the disorder, ADHD medications increase dopamine levels in the brain, giving the user a sense of euphoria similar to cocaine. Students at Northeastern University as well as other campuses are consuming these drugs for better academic performance and a cheap high on the college party scene. Students are taking Ritalin, Addrall, and the newest drug on the market, Conserta, either orally or crushing and snorting them to study, party, or lose weight. In some cases, kids are melting them down and shooting them up. According to Northeastern students, the drugs are very cheap and very accessible.
Amphetamines produce feelings of euphoria, relieve fatigue, improve performance, increase activity, and suppress appetite. Euphoric effects associated with the use of amphetamines, increase potential for abuse. Consequently, prolonged use of amphetamines may lead to drug dependence and tolerance. Desired effects are only achieved by increasing to higher doses of amphetamine, which can result in an acute overdose. Seizures, hypertension, tachycardia, hyperthermia, psychosis, hallucinations, stroke, or death can be experienced. Additional reports revealed that those who abuse amphetamines were significantly more likely to report using a greater number of illicit substances including nicotine, marijuana, cocaine, hallucinogens, and opiates.
In the article “Brain Gain: The Underground World of “Neuroenhancing” Drugs” (Yorker 2009) Margaret Talbot discusses the misuse of prescription drugs that enhance academic performance at the college level. First Talbot introduces readers to a young college history major at Harvard University named Alex who receives a description of a demanding, busy life which seems impossible to control without the safety unapproved adopted use of a drug named Adderall. After that Alex’s dependency on the prescription drugs cognitive enhancers is described when he asks his doctor to increase the amount of intake and the listing of his daily routine on using Adderall during a week that required him to write four term papers. Next Talbot describes a personal
Drugs and Behavior, Rebecca Schilit and Edith Lisansky Gomberg, Page 62, SAGE Publications, Inc.- 1991
The drug is a big problem at many colleges today, and is getting worse by time. There are more and more drugs circling in college atmospheres, where many students aren’t aware. If people learn what is happening around them, and watch out for each other, the problem should be able to be contained.
People with the ADHD condition have problems with control of impulse behaviors, paying attention and some may be found out to be very active. According to recent statistics, it has been unfolded that a lot of people especially those who abuse substances are not given ADHD treatment. It should also be noted that those patients with ADHD are at a higher risk of using illegal substances and drugs and therefore need to be accorded the attention that they require. It is also apparent that people with drug addiction problems are often misdiagnosed and as per this, they are not given the treatment that they truly deserve. As noted by Millichap (2009), poor or improper treatment leads to impulsiveness which makes the people to turn to substances such as cocaine, marijuana and other hard drugs to console themselves. According to a number of these drug users, they confess that the usage of the drugs makes them feel high and better without knowing of the dangers that they are presenting themselves to.
According to Benedict Carey, taking pills to enhance performance in academia is flourishing. Throughout his argument he talks about how individuals are using pills such as Adderall or Provigil to help boost one’s abilities. In his perspective he sees taking stimulants as a horrendous problem within the academic field. The problem with his argument is he is not staying open minded; he stayed in a complete narrow mindset weakening his argument against pills being taken to improve academic success.
Zernike, Kate and Melody Petersen. “Schools’ Backing of Behavior Drugs Comes Under Fire.” New York Times: 18 August 2004. .
Marijuana may control the way people act, think, and even hurt their college academics. Marijuana is one of the most popular used drugs in America ranking about third after tobacco and alcohol. Marijuana is a substance that has become very much a part of American culture; many college students have either used it occasionally or regularly. With that in mind, I thought it would be interesting to find out about students at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) and their use of marijuana. In fact most students might not even know what they are smoking and what exactly makes them feel the way they do.
..., Kjetil K. "Why We Shouldn’t Allow Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sport." Academia.edu. Academia.edu, 1 Apr. 2011. Web. 06 Jan. 2014. .
Many students and young people trying to leave marks on their jobs now use brain-enhancing "smart" pills to help boost their exam grades or their ability to work long hours without tiring. It's quite possible that employers will start to demand that employees use stimulants. Drugs, originally made for dementia patients and children diagnosed with ADHD, are now available without prescription. Healthy individuals use them solely to improve their memory, motivation and attention, without any prior consult with their doctors. Many of these drugs are available on the Internet which comes in handy to young people who want to save their money for the future. What they do not take into consideration when buying stimulants on the Internet is the risk of not knowing for certain what they are getting. Moreover, long-term consequences and safety of the technologies are not known. Scientists haven’t done enough research to know how much of an impact even a short period of using such substances leaves on our brains.