|
Students abusing drugs like Adderall and Ritalin isn't anew problem: they've long been weapons of choice for collegekids looking to pull all-nighters. But according to the New York Times , that trend is now trickling down to the high school level. In alengthy story on the front page Sunday, the Times reported that behind many high achieving students lies a secretaddiction to prescription stimulants. (MORE: ADHD Drugs and Grades: How Big a Problem Is It? ) While drugs like Adderall, Vyvanse, Concerta, Focalin and Ritalin— the "good grade pills," as the story dubbedthem — calm people with A.D.H.D., those without the disorderreceive an energy jolt from the pills. Students use that jolt tohelp keep them awake to study or to stay focused during tests likethe S.A.T. In fact, since 2007, the number of prescriptions forA.D.H.D. medications dispensed to people ages 10 to 19 has risen by26%, to almost 21 million yearly, or about two million individuals,the Times reports. The story details the ease with which students are able to getprescriptions for the pills ("many youngsters withprescriptions said their doctors merely listened to their storiesand took out their prescription pads," it says). One unnamedteen told the Times , "I lie to my psychiatrist I expressed feelings Ididn't really have, knowing the consequences of it. I tellthe doctor, ‘I find myself very distracted, and I feel thisreally deep pain inside, like I'm anxious all thetime.'" (MORE : Ritalin for Toddlers? ) Beyond the kids-on-stimulants trend, the Times speculates about what effect the drugs may have on thesestudents further down the road. Not only could these pills, whichthe students often snort lines of, serve as a gateway to narcoticslike heroin and cocaine, but abuse of the stimulants can lead todepression, mood swings, heart irregularities, acute exhaustion orpsychosis. "Children have prefrontal cortexes that are not fullydeveloped, and we're changing the chemistry of the brain.That's what these drugs do. It's one thing if you havea real deficiency the medicine is really important to thosepeople but not if your deficiency is not getting intoBrown," Paul L. Hokemeyer, a family therapist at CaronTreatment Centers in New York City told the Times. In the worst case scenario, the story cites one student who becameso addicted to the stimulants that he spent seven months at a drugrehabilitation center. Read the full New York Times story here . MORE: Getting Distracted from the Real Issues of ADHD Kayla Webley is a Staff Writer at TIME. Find her on Twitter at @kaylawebley , on Facebook or on Google+. You can also continue the discussion on TIME s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME . The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as China Capacitive Android Tablets , Android 2.3 MID Tablet PC Manufacturer, and more. For more , please visit Android Touchpad Tablet PC today!
Related Articles -
China Capacitive Android Tablets, Android 2.3 MID Tablet PC Manufacturer,
|
