OBJECTIVE: This cross-sectional survey study examines the link between ADHD medication misuse and a positive screen for adult ADHD symptoms. METHOD: Surveys from 184 college student volunteers in Northern Virginia are collected and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 71% of ADHD stimulant misusers screen positive for ADHD symptoms. Misusers are 7 times more likely to be symptomatic for ADHD than those who do not misuse. Also, 87% of misusers indicate that they do so for academic reasons, and 76% believe that the misuse of the ADHD stimulants improve their grades. CONCLUSION: ADHD stimulant misuse in college students is found to be strongly linked to having symptoms of adult ADHD. The desire for cognitive performance enhancement in college students may be a form of self-treatment for undiagnosed ADHD. College students need more accessibility to medical diagnosis and treatment of adult ADHD to reduce the incidence of misuse in the future.
OBJECTIVE: This cross-sectional survey study examines the link between ADHD medication misuse and a positive screen for adult ADHD symptoms. METHOD: Surveys from 184 college student volunteers in Northern Virginia are collected and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 71% of ADHD stimulant misusers screen positive for ADHD symptoms. Misusers are 7 times more likely to be symptomatic for ADHD than those who do not misuse. Also, 87% of misusers indicate that they do so for academic reasons, and 76% believe that the misuse of the ADHD stimulants improve their grades. CONCLUSION:ADHD stimulant misuse in college students is found to be strongly linked to having symptoms of adult ADHD. The desire for cognitive performance enhancement in college students may be a form of self-treatment for undiagnosed ADHD. College students need more accessibility to medical diagnosis and treatment of adult ADHD to reduce the incidence of misuse in the future.
Authors: Niloofar Bavarian; Brian R Flay; Patricia L Ketcham; Ellen Smit; Cathy Kodama; Melissa Martin; Robert F Saltz Journal: Drug Alcohol Depend Date: 2014-03-12 Impact factor: 4.492