Students Use Stimulants to Take SATs November 9, 2004
News Summary
Prescription drugs used for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are being used by a growing number of high-school seniors to stay alert and confident while taking the SATs for college, the Wall Street Journal reported Nov. 8.While students have long taken stimulants such as caffeine or cocaine to help them stay awake and cram for exams, more high-school and college students are turning to prescription drugs to improve their performance on SATs and graduate school admissions (GRE) tests.
"It used to be on the fringes completely, but now it's seeping into the mainstream," said Steven Roy Goodman, a college and graduate-school admissions consultant in Washington. "If you're one of hundreds of kids fighting for one of 10 spots, you'll do everything you can to get the extra edge."
William Pollack, a psychologist and director of the Centers for Men and Young Men at Harvard University's McLean Hospital, talked with more than 50 students who said they had used stimulants such as Adderall and Ritalin to increase their test scores.
"I've seen it become a trend," said Pollack.
The stimulants contain amphetamines that act on the brain by mimicking the neurotransmitter dopamine. In studies conducted by the National Institutes of Health, dopamine has been found to increase alertness and concentration.
"One pill won't kill you, but we also know that with adolescents, I take one pill, I'm more likely to take a second pill," said Westley Clark, a physician and director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment in the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
According to IMS Health Inc., a consulting firm in Fairfield, Conn., prescriptions for stimulants have increased to 2.6 million a month in 2004, from 1.6 million in 2000. The leading prescription in those sales is Adderall XR, an extended-release form of the drug.
While some students have valid prescriptions for the drugs, others buy them off the street or from friends.
COMMENTS ON THIS ARTICLE: