According to The New York Times, doctors have been prescribing the ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) medication, Adderall, to students who struggle in school without thoroughly determining whether they have the disorder. The negative impact of overprescription led The Kirkwood Call to decide in a vote of 42 : 10 that doctors should not prescribe Adderall to patients without positively knowing if they have the disorder.
Most KHS students know how essential focus is to doing well in school. From cramming for an AP World exam to wrapping up a last-minute essay, the ability to concentrate for an extended period of time is required for academic success. Naturally, some students struggle with concentration more than others, but recently, doctors have been using a magic pill to level the playing field.
Adderall acts as a stimulant that enables concentration for large amounts of time. It is used to treat ADHD and ADD, but according to The New York Times, doctors have been prescribing Adderall to students without the disorder so that they will do better in school.
Dr. Michael Anderson, a physician who openly prescribes Adderall to patients without ADHD or ADD, explained to the Times that patients who are prescribed the medication are struggling in school, and even if they don’t have the disorders, need the medication to improve their academic performance because their schools cannot accommodate their needs.
However, according to dependency. net, Adderall is addictive for people without ADHD or ADD. While a regular dosage gives people with the disorders average focus ability, it gives people without the disorders superior concentration. Continued use leads to an addiction as negative and unhealthy as an addiction to street drugs.
Physicians who prescribe Adderall are not solving patients’ academic problems. What they are doing is the equivalent of prescribing cigarettes for stress, alcohol for shyness or makeup for acne: they are covering up the real problem and encouraging a potentially life-long reliance on fake ways to achieve success and happiness.
Doctors who prescribe Adderall to patients without the disorder are not just encouraging life-long dependence. They are also exposing patients to dangerous side effects that can be avoided if the real problem is solved.
According to The Huffington Post, users of Adderall without ADHD or ADD need a greater and greater dosage to achieve the same concentration level and blissful state. The dosage increase with every use easily leads to overdose and an increased risk of side effects.
Side effects of Adderall are not pleasant. A side effects list composed by the Toronto Star includes depression, anxiety, psychotic episodes and increased blood pressure. The Star even reports that multiple users of Adderall have committed suicide due to depression created by the medication.
Teenagers who need the medication take it because they have a disorder. Students who struggle in school without the disorder should find other ways to get the assistance they need, like counselors or tutors, without taking potentially dangerous medicine. Doctors should not nonchalantly risk their patients’ well-being, unless they have proven beyond a reasonable doubt those patients have the disorder.
Not only does Adderall endanger the well-being of patients without the disorder, but over-prescription endangers the well-being of people who genuinely struggle with ADHD and ADD, since, according to The New York Times, the medication supply is steadily disappearing.
Instead of putting patients without the disorder at risk and simultaneously endangering those who truly struggle with ADD and ADHD, schools should focus on creating academic resources for students who have difficulty in school.
If schools cannot financially meet these students’ needs, they should hone in on the individual students struggling the most and offer them extra assistance, even if it means transferring those students to a different school that can help them.
Students do not need chemical modification to achieve success: they need resources, love and firm guidance. Nothing short of that will do.
