Parents: How Much Do You Understand About College Students And ADHD Prescription Diversion?

Maybe you should have a holiday conversation about ADHD drugs…

Yes, this is the holiday season! College students across the country are returning home or meeting family members for a holiday vacation. Not to mention high school students will be enjoying their holiday break, as well.  It is the time of year when we all are making lists and “checking them twice.” This year parents may want to add to their to-do lists: “survey your teenagers and college aged students about misuse of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) prescription drugs.”

If you are wondering what questions to ask, continue reading to learn what CPAMM wanted to know.

CPAMM™ ~ The Coalition To Prevent ADHD Medication Misuse

The Coalition To Prevent ADHD Medication Misuse (CPAMM) has a simple mission: To prevent ADHD Medication Misuse, abuse and Diversion. According to their website:

CPAMM IS A DIVERSE GROUP OF ORGANIZATIONS WITH REPRESENTATION FROM THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY (THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF FAMILY PHYSICIANS), MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY GROUPS (CHADD AND THE JED FOUNDATION), COLLEGE ADMINISTRATORS (NASPA), COLLEGIATE STUDENT LEADERS (THE BACCHUS INITIATIVES OF NASPA), AND PHARMACEUTICAL COMMUNITY (SHIRE).

Recently CPAMM requested that a survey be conducted by Harris Poll.   The survey was completed on-line and took place from May 15, 2014 through June 11, 2014. Respondents were 2, 056 college students.

Survey parameters…

  • 2,056 college students were surveyed
  • Respondents were 18-24 years of age
  • All were enrolled in a 4 year college or university
  • Each had at least some in-person classes

The goal of the survey was to determine students’ attitudes and perceptions regarding the misuse of prescription stimulants.

Survey results…

According to Medical News Today:

  • College students consider taking ADHD prescription stimulant medications that were not prescribed to them to be unethical (75%), a form of cheating (when used for schoolwork)(59%), extremely/very harmful (73%) and a “big deal” (80%) if someone who doesn’t have ADHD uses prescription stimulants, 

  • 65% likened the misuse of ADHD prescription stimulants to do schoolwork to athletes who use performance-enhancing drugs. 

  • However, almost one in four students (24%) do believe it is okay for someone who doesn’t have ADHD to use prescription stimulants for schoolwork, and 48% believe that students who misuse are just doing what they have to do to keep up with the pressures of college. 

  • In addition, 42% of students incorrectly believe that using ADHD prescription stimulants not prescribed to them is no more harmful than an energy drink or a strong cup of coffee. 

  • Further, the majority of students believe the main drivers to start misusing ADHD prescription stimulants are a desire to get good grades (70%) and pressure to succeed (68%). 

  • Overall, 64% of students declare that they would “do anything to get an A,” and 29% admit they will do whatever it takes to succeed academically even if it requires breaking the rules. 

Fox40 Sacramento investigated ‘study drugs’ during this finals period


 

If you are having trouble viewing the video, you can see it here.

Start the conversation

At this point, hopefully the Harris Poll results and Fox40’s news report will encourage you to get involved with your high school and college aged children about the dangers involved with misusing stimulants like Ritalin® or Adderall®. Many people do not realize that these stimulants can be and often are addictive.

Start the conversation…

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