Sunday, December 04, 2011
Colleges fear rise of study drugs
Post Gazette: The American University junior never finishes her monthly prescription of instant-release Adderall used to control her ADHD. She says taking the medication daily might result in sleeplessness or the pills losing their effectiveness. So she shares the extras with friends who promise to use it as a study aid, not a party drug. She sells whatever is left to friends of friends for $5 to $10 each.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
18 comments:
This is an increasing occurrence in college life. These pills do work but as the article says there is a health risk when used. With that said the energy drink market probably causes just as many er visits as this. People will always find a way to get the results that these medications get you and to think that this is a major problem and a problem on the rise is valid but the root problem of procrastination and instant self gratification is not going away any time soon. Some people can use this product effectively and safely but as with all products uninformed and stupid users will cause themselves harm.
I'm glad this has been brought to the attention of the public. As the article states, "Study drugs are 'kind of a silent issue,'" that many do not know about because it is not as prevalent as alcohol or other illegal substances.
As Luke points out people will always find a way to get the medication (or drug) that they want, you can't stop someone from trying. The study problem is not going to go away anytime soon with the demand placed on students. Though with better time management and not over-committing themselves, these medications might not be needed. Though the article also address this some as the ones typically using these "study aids" are the average and below average students, so maybe these drugs are their better alternative. Regardless of what the solution is, it is good it has been brought up to begin a discussion in the academic setting.
This article may surprise an older generation, but to our age group, it is far from news. Especially at Carnegie Mellon. The reality is that students will use just about anything to stay awake to get our load and loads of work done. And because it's so prevalent, it does not seem like a big deal anymore to hear someone say that they took Adderall to finish their project in a whopping all nighter. And I agree with the closing remarks of the article: we are predisposed to accept these conditions (ie people taking Adderall) because of competition and the cut throat nature of higher education.
I think that in addition to drugs being academic dishonesty, people who take pills that are not proscribed them, are making people who take them because they need them look bad. The illicit use of drugs puts them in a poor light. People look like slackers or look stupid if they have to take drugs to do well. The reason that attention medication is not the same as steroids is because some people do in fact need to preform to their full potential and because they could not preform that way and other way. Also if so many people are being prescribed the pills then people who are abusing them should just go and get tested and get their own prescription.
I think the concern on the topic of study drugs is over due and then some. I think the rise in availability of medications like adderall or ritalin may have brought this topic to a level where it's a publicly viewable issue, but I really do not think that it's especially new. The general trend in my high school was that medications like adderall were replacing drugs like speed since aside form giving you that awake feeling, they let you focus beyond your normal limits. I graduated high school before the trend really god bad, but I think that the trend while existing in college previously has really moved into a fuller form.
I absolutely agree. Especially when I lived in the dorms on campus, there are a great number of people taking prescription drugs and dealing prescription drugs. Adderol has become a necessary study aid for many students. I can't imagine what is happening around colleges at this type of year. Yes, illegal drugs are prevalent on college campuses, but so are "study" drugs. If anything I worry that with the high level of expectations and competitiveness, that this issue will only get worse. Additionally when drugs are introduced to the market.
As Katherine said, I think that more focus should be placed on this issue and helping people who feel that they need to turn to "study aids" to get their work done. What also needs to be focused on, in turn, is the promotion of healthy study habits and time management. We've all had those late nights, and while all-nighters are sometimes inevitable, there's usually a way to prevent them. Something else that really struck me in this article was the whole "study aids are like steroids thing". That actually makes sense. If I can get my work done without taking study aids, why should any student (who doesn't actually need them prescribed) be able to take them? Though the concept makes sense logically, I still don't know if I agree with it. It's a person's personal choice if they choose to potentially harm their body in order to get work done on time. Either way, the growing issue of the use of study aids certainly points out some alarming things about the workload and pressure placed on college students today, as well as the common lack of poor study habits.
I think that CMU itself is heavily reliant on study drugs to get work done because of the intense amount of work that is expected of them. But CMU CFA if probably even MORE likely to rely on these drugs because there are a lot more students in theatre and the arts that just aren't the kind of students that can sit down for 7hours of classes and then do another 7 hours of homework. Theres a big difference between Attention Deficit Disorder and someone who is not the type of student able to sit and study for huge amounts of time day after day. In college you can get prescribed these types of ADD and ADHD medications just by saying, "well, it will help me focus in class and get my work done." Even though you can focus perfectly well on the 2,000 piece puzzle you have on your kitchen table, you may not be the type of student to be able to pay attention for more than 30min in a lecture. Just different types of people. And those medications are available to make us all the type of students the school is designed for.
I completely agree with Hannah and Zoe on this one: I think the biggest issue here is that, like steroids, this medication gives non-prescriptants (is that a word?) an unfair advantage if they choose to consume it. Presumably, someone with ADD or ADHD takes Ritalin or Adderall because it corrects an actual diagnosed chemical imbalance in their brains and allows them to work at the same level as everyone else. When others take it, they work at an above-average level, giving them an academic advantage. A lot of people think they aren't the type to be able to sit down and work for 7 hours, as Hannah pointed out, but the solution there is instead to organize one's time (or seek help in doing so) so that the hours where you work best are the ones you spend doing important work. That's helpful whether one is ADD/ADHD or not, since the meds do eventually wear off, and each person knows their own body best, and when its "prime" hours are.
I'm glad to see this issue is being recognized. While the intentions of passing classes and getting through college are good, I feel like by taking these pills, it gives this kinds a kind of unfair advantage to those who actually need the medication. However, I understand that stress from work and time management would push students to resort to takes these drugs. And because the resource is so abundant and as simple as asking a friend for a pill or three, its easy to see how students don't hold back from taking from these easily accessible resources.
Unfortunately, this article is somewhat of old news in today's generation. And as the article states, there really is no way to monitor these occurrences, however there should be more information provided for students on the negative elements of these drugs when used for the wrong reasons. I feel bad for the students that actually need these assistants to simply focus on daily activities while others view the pills as temporary school help. This article did comment on how wrong it is when students have time management issues, aka partying, and use ADD medication to get through the homework they slacked on. This just infuriates me. I understand that college is a time in life to experiment and socialize but do you really want your education to be determined by a pill at 2am? No.
I agree in part with Zoe's comment as they do make the people who use them becuase they need them look bad, but i don't feel they are any more academic dishonesty than someone who drinks multiple energy drinks and caffeine pills are being dishonest. they are doing what they feel needs to be done to stay ahead of the curve. we have created a high stakes society and with all this recent technological progress, we are trying to run and catch up. the fact that these drugs are being abused is a problem, but the fact that the stakes have become so high that it is necessary in order to succeed, is an even bigger problem that should be dealt with. colleges get off on stating how intense their programs are- and arent evaluating the detrimental nature it has on its students. Intense curriculum, high stakes, doesn't mean higher learning. or Quality of education.
It seems like we are becoming increasingly dependent on other things to "help" us to do our work.
I think taking someone else's prescribed medication is never the option, because there are so many health risks involved. We are not meant to play around with medication. Even though taking one pill from someone else's ADHD medication may not send someone to the emergency room, the fact that someone will resort to that is scary. If someone is doing this now, what's to stop them from playing with medications later in life?
And how different is someone's use of an ADHD pill to someone "needing" coffee to stay awake? We constantly proclaim that we "need" and depend on other things to keep us awake. Isn't this dependency kind of scary?
Like Scott mentioned, I think there is a problem when we feel like we need something to get through a day. If you're not sleeping enough, you need to SLEEP MORE, not pop a whole bunch of pills and wash them down with an energy drink to keep you up through the day. Granted, there are days that you simply cannot sleep, because of all of the things that are happening. But that wouldn't really excuse taking illegal prescription drugs. But this is a measure that people take to complete the things they need to complete to get through their day. I'd say that study drugs are a problem, just like weed and alcohol are problems. People sometimes use them for legitimate reasons, but people also use them for terrible and harmful reasons. Take it as you will, but it is important to accept the fact that things are problems, even though you probably won't ever be able to control that problem.
This is an issue that needs to be discussed. As the article said it is very hard to determine who is using these sorts of drugs to help them study but it is a problem. I also agree that students using these drugs should be considered cheating. But on the hand I think that school and society should step back and look at why these students feel so much pressure to do well that they resort to prescription drugs. I know that I have felt the pressure of doing well and I felt that my best was not good enough. The issue of students talking prescription drugs to help them do better has no easy fix I think that in order for it to stop there needs to be less pressure on college students. How do we decrease pressure is the question .
There are tons of things that college students take to help them study, such as coffee, Red Bull, and soda, and I think it's pretty easy to lump prescription drugs in with these other more innocuous aids. There definitely needs to be more education at the middle and high school level about the dangers of abusing prescription drugs. There is a common misconception that if a drug is not universally dangerous then it is safe to use it for things other than what it's intended for.
This is definitely a rising issue that needs to be dealt with. Part of the problem with prescription drugs is that students think that they are safe because they are prescribed to people, but people who are prescribed these drugs are closely monitored because of the potential side effects that these drugs have. A side effect of ADHD drugs is sudden death. Maybe if people knew that, this wouldn't be so much of a problem, but, then again, college students tend to think that they are invincible. There is also the issue that these drugs effect people who have ADHD differently than they effect people without the disorder. The difference is that people who are taking these drugs just as study aids just take them to be able to get their work done, but people who actually have ADHD need them to deal with many parts of life other than school, even in deal with social situations.
This is definitely a very widespread and ubiquitous problem. As the other commenters are pointing out though, other “study aids” such as coffee, energy drinks, and more. Students are feeling like they must have something to rely on, to help them get through their work. I see the appeal in taking drugs and other things to help you with your work, it will make things easier, it will help you push through, etc. I wonder if the issue is more caused by “reckless” teens, or by stress and college culture in the US. The adults that I have spoken to about college, including applying, all comment on how much more difficult and pressurized the entire situation is now than it was when they were going through it. Maybe we need to let up on our students a little.
Post a Comment