To think that there's something wrong to use medication for academic/career achievement

[quaser14]

So this isn't me or my family but a friend of mine who moved to the States a while back. She has a two sons. One is 19 and has quite severe Aspegers and the other is 15 and seems neurotypical

Her older son is very intelligent but always seemd fail to concentrate in class. She went to a doctor who suggested that Adderall might help him as he might have comorbid ADHD. He tried it and it improved his peformance. Her doctor also started prescribing the medicine to her younger son even though she admits there's nothing wrong. She also enquired about getting a wakefulness drug for herself

Now I know it's not my business at all and it's great that herself and her sons are getting benefit but I can't help but feel that it's common nowadays that there's a pill for everything. Maybe it's just American culture cause I don't think that would happen here in Europe.

I know from first hand experience in my family that these powerful stimulants can be addictive and it's seems unreasonable to put a teenager/young adult on them as a first line of treatment.

It is an unknown known situation that is bubbling up in america at the minute, deep dive data is showing a lot of push back against the the 'Adderall' situation but it pushes back on some narratives that shouldn't be questioned

It's another americanism that is seeping into the uk, there is a reason why places like 4chan openly admit to being put on 'medication', it's all going to blow up eventually, to counter some of the replies my neice who is staunch communist/feminist is very active on 4 chan and on Adderall, the thing she regrets the most is the Adderall

It's wrong to give it where it's not needed or where a formal diagnosis following formal assessment for ADHD has not been carried out.

That doesn't mean it's the wrong decision for her eldest who might well have ADHD. But to prescribe it without assessments, that's wrong.

It’s very common in US colleges as a study aid, for neuro typical students as well. The trouble is it works…

It is used in the UK too, but much more secretive.

I have an American friend who was super stressed at work, couldn't concentrate, couldn't sleep and reckoned they needed to go to the doctor for Adderall and sleeping pills...

It was a short and moderately awkward conversation where I explained Adderall itself (instead of ritalin) is just unavailable in the UK and the likelihood of being prescribed ritalin at all as an adult with no diagnosis of ADHD was somewhere close to nil, never mind that AND sleeping tablets.

I wouldn’t have a career without anti depressants and occasional sleeping pills. Tbh I’d take sleeping pills more often if I could get more prescribed.

Meanwhile the people with a proper diagnosis and who need their medication are demonised and branded as addicts.

Adhd medication can give a ND person the chance of a semi normal life. It can reduce the risk of developing mental illness and suicide. People with adhd don't take these meds for fun.

Meanwhile the people with a proper diagnosis and who need their medication are demonised and branded as addicts.

It's a push back against the easy diagnosis (american multiple issues) and the fact America does have an actual problem of addiction to over the counter medication.

They are in a period of a couple of decades worth of data that pushing Adderall has not helped a lot of people other than make them addicts

Each case should be looked at on its own merits. The worrying aspect here is that it doesn’t sound as if the condition has been properly tested for. So it’s hard to know if the medication is having the effect of enhancing performance or merely enabling performance.

I am reminded of the case of the Russian figure skater currently in the news. Clearly she could manage fine without drugs but taking them gave her an edge. The actions of her coaches in choosing to medicate her can’t be condoned. On the other hand, someone using an asthma inhaler so they can manage to skate at all is acceptable.

I’ve noticed that the number of people getting diagnosed with ADHD in the States, and being medicated for it, keeps rising and that there are differences round the world in diagnosis rate. That would suggest at least some caution in this area would be wise.