Adderall helps those with ADHD, hinders those without it

At colleges like Columbia University, students have been selling Adderall to each other for years. It is estimated by the New York Times that 20 percent of college students have used Adderall and other related drugs to aid them when studying.

Adderall is a medication used to treat ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, which is defined by a difficulty concentrating, as well as hyper and impulsive behavior.

It is a disorder seen more in boys than in girls, and according to Specialized Academic Instruction teacher and special education department chair Terra Vitarelli, it is much more prominent at the school than people might think.

“I couldn’t give you an accurate figure, but I could say that there are students who aren’t even in our program who have ADHD,” Vitarelli said. “So I think that that number [of students] would probably be quite high.”

Vitarelli said that to an outsider, students with ADHD might simply seem overly dreamy or antsy, which is why people often underestimate its prevalence in the school and community.
“They’re really fidgety, or they constantly tap their pencils on their desks or have fidget toys, something in their hand always,” Vitarelli said. “Sometimes they have a hard time just staying organized and on top of things because their minds are moving in so many different directions.”

Vitarelli said people often have misconceptions about ADHD, picturing students with it to have passive attitudes regarding school, with no interest in learning or obnoxious behavior. In reality, however, students who have ADHD are not all that different from those without it.

“I think that these students are just like any other kid. They just have difficulty with staying seated in a seat for a long period of time or focusing on something for a long period of time,” Vitarelli said.

Vitarelli said the size of the impact that ADHD has on students varies due to multitude of factors.

“It depends on how severe it is for each individual and how they are able to cope with it and if they are able to find some coping mechanisms to deal with it,” Vitarelli said. “There are a lot of students who have ADHD who choose not to take medication, who are able to find other ways to channel their energy and their focus.”

ADHD is commonly treated with either Ritalin, a psychostimulant drug, or Adderall, a stimulant drug.

Vitarelli said these medications are meant to have a “calming effect” on those who require them. According to USA Today, however, Adderall has stimulating and energizing results on the behavior of people without ADHD who unnecessarily use it.

Vitarelli said the side effects of using ADHD medications without a prescription can be dangerous.

“They are playing with fire. Your brain is still developing when you’re a teenager,” Vitarelli said, “and when you start different sorts of medications, you can essentially alter your brain functioning for the rest of your life.”

Despite the dangers, it is extremely simple for someone without ADHD to obtain Adderall. Since it is illegal to possess Adderall without a prescription, sometimes students without an attention deficit disorder seek out psychiatrists who will give them the drug without a second thought.

ABC News stated that in 2007, 5.4 million school-aged children were diagnosed with ADHD; according IMS Health, the number of Adderall prescriptions increased by 13.4 percent between 2009 and 2010. 

According to Contemporary Justice Review, the drug can also be easily purchased from peers for $3-$10 per pill or “borrowed” from family members.

The consequences for selling Adderall include up to 60 days in prison and 18 months probation.

The impact of carelessly dabbling with study drugs can often be larger than a little jail time, however. Vitarelli said the negative effects of needlessly taking ADHD drugs can be long-lasting.

“Students may see the short-term benefits of it, but in reality, is that something that you want to rely on for the rest of your life?” Vitarelli said. “There are going to be times when you’re an adult and you have to get things done. I don’t think at that time in your life you would necessarily want to be popping pills to get through it.”