Almost one in five Ivy League college students acknowledge they've used stimulants to perform better in school even though they haven't been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a new study shows. as reported by WebMD.
Varsity athletes and students in fraternities and sororities were more likely to report using the medications. About half of those who'd used the drugs said they'd done so fewer than four times, suggesting that regular use of the drugs is limited to a small number of students overall, said WebMd's report.
In the study, the researchers surveyed 616 college students -- none of whom were diagnosed with ADHD -- at an unidentified Ivy League university in 2012. The students responded to an anonymous online questionnaire about their use of stimulants such as Adderall, said the article on WebMd.
The drugs, chemical cousins of cocaine, "will speed you up," explained Matt Varga, an assistant professor of counselor education and college student affairs at the University of West Georgia. "People can stay up for hours on end," and feel a higher level of alertness than they'd get from caffeine in coffee, said Varga, who was not involved with the study.
Of the students surveyed, 13 percent of sophomores, 24 percent of juniors and 16 percent of seniors said they'd used prescription stimulant drugs at least once, according to the report.
Twenty-eight percent of students surveyed who both played varsity athletics and were part of the Greek system said they'd used the drugs, compared to 16 percent of other students. It was reported that these students may use the drugs because they're having more trouble managing their time and studying properly.
Those who'd used the drugs were less likely (18 percent) to think using the drugs is cheating compared to those who'd never used the drugs (46 percent). A third of students surveyed overall said they don't think using the drugs counts as cheating, said the WebMd article.
