Leading US academic tells studentBMJ Ritalin use in students is acceptable
By Upasana Tayal London
A leading US academic, Professor Martha Farah, told the studentBMJ that it is acceptable for students to take the prescription medicine Ritalin to get a study boost.
Illegal use of Ritalin is on the rise across US campuses, with more and more students reporting taking the stimulant. The drug, best known for treating people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), enhances attention and increases the ability to focus and ignore distractions. Possible side effects include insomnia, night terrors, and tremors, as well as dependence and tolerance.
But Professor Farah, director of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States, has said that she is "hard pressed to crack down" on the problem.
"My first gut reaction was that this is terrible. These teenagers and young adults should be applying themselves with good old fashioned effort without chemicals. But I was thinking these thoughts while drinking my coffee," said Farah. "Caffeine is an attention enhancer. It is not as effective as Ritalin, but we accept it as a normal part of life to take coffee at 2 am to get you going."
She does not accept a difference between coffee and Ritalin use. "It [drinking coffee] is using a natural substance in the same way these kids are using prescription medicine. If it's safe and it helps you, why shouldn't you?"
It is not entirely clear how students are obtaining the drug. Diagnostic criteria for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are subjective, and evidence indicates that doctors are giving prescriptions to students who do not really have the disorder. A study, published in the journal Psychology in the Schools (2003:6;569), also reported cases of high school students with the disorder giving away or selling their medication.
William Frankenberger, a professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin, and colleagues interviewed 651 students aged 11-18. Twenty eight per cent of students not on medication reported seeing their peers "almost always" or "always" being approached to sell or trade their medication. Thirty four per cent of students taking medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder themselves reported "sometimes" being approached to sell or trade their medication, and 11% reported "almost always" or "always" being approached to sell or trade their medication.
However, Professor Farah cautions that there are circumstances where students should not take the drug, such as in examinations or competitions. "Whenever I give a talk on neuroethics and mention cognitive enhancement, students always come up to me with anecdotes. The worst was a hockey coach at a school who used to remind the girls before a big meet to take their Ritalin. I could conceive of some sort of examination situation where to be fair you would want to evaluate people in their natural state without enhancement."
