Response to 'Adderall abuse continues despite ban'

Before the break, The Chronicle published an interesting article on the nonprescribed use of ADHD medications by students. Several years ago, we conducted a survey on this issue at Duke. Approximately 9 percent of students (roughly 2 percent of freshman to 20 percent of seniors) reported using ADHD medication without a prescription during college. These rates are comparable to what has been reported at many other universities. Most students used medication to enhance their academic performance and believed that it was helpful.

Our findings did not suggest, however, that this simply reflects an effort to improve academic performance among students who are “problem free.” Rather, we found that use was much higher among students who used and abused other substances. Users were also more concerned about their ability to succeed academically and had significantly lower GPAs.

We also found that many users reported high rates of attention problems and felt they could not focus as well as their peers. This suggests some students may have been trying to “treat” themselves for problems they felt were undermining their academic success. The illicit availability of ADHD medications could diminish those students’ inclination to seek treatment for attention problems, thus depriving them of important medical diagnostics and advice. Furthermore, there is no evidence we know of that using ADHD medication helps students achieve greater academic success.

Many students reported adverse affects from using ADHD medication, including sleep difficulty, irritability, headaches and stomachaches. Several students felt that using ADHD medication contributed to their use of other substances and some worried about becoming dependent on the medication, something that happens to large numbers of people each year.

We strongly encourage students who may turn to these drugs to boost their academic performance to pursue more appropriate ways to attain academic success. Resources on campus that could be helpful include the Academic Resource Center, CAPS and the Duke Psychology Clinic.

David Rabiner and Rick Hoyle, Dept. of Psychology & Neuroscience and Duke’s Center for Child and Family Policy

Jane Costello and Scott Swartzwelder, Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center