happiness (euphoria), an
increase in energy and
motivation and weight loss.

As long as college students
are seen by a doctor,
diagnosed with ADHD,
prescribed Adderall for
treatment and follow the
dosage and exact regimen
prescribed by the doctor, that
is all considered lawful use
of the Adderall drug.

Teens: IStock/Getty Images Plus/Fotosmurf03
ADDERALL USED BY
COLLEGE STUDENTS NOT
DIAGNOSED WITH ADHD
Misuse of Adderall is
reported when college
students who have no
diagnosis of ADHD and
were not seen by a doctor
illegally obtain Adderall
under the misguided beliefs
that it will help them bett er
achieve tasks in school
and improve academic
performance. This suggests
that students illegally obtain
and use Adderall, expecting
it to increase their dopamine
levels and therefore, do bett er
in school.

In his work in psychiatry
and behavioral sciences, Dr.

Lieberman has learned that
roughly one out of three
college students currently
take Adderall, despite the
fact that none of those
students had seen a doctor
or have been formally
diagnosed with ADHD.

Dr. Lieberman believes the
illicit use of Adderall among
college students is increasing,
as evidenced by the surge
in emergency room visits
reported across the nation.

When asked why he
believes non-ADHD-
diagnosed college students
voluntarily choose to take
Adderall, Dr. Lieberman
commented: “Adderall is a
study drug, not a recreational
drug. It makes it easier
[for students] to study
and get their work done.”
He emphatically noted
that Adderall is “a great
medication if used properly,”
however, when students
who are not diagnosed
with ADHD choose to take
Adderall for the purpose of
doing bett er academically,
“they are only cheating
themselves.” Dr. Lieberman noted a
recent medical study from
“Pharmacy” journal, which
documented the eff ects of
Adderall in non-ADHD-
diagnosed college students.

The study concluded that
college students without a
formal diagnosis of ADHD
who choose to take Adderall
without a prescription
do not gain improvement
in focus, concentration,
or long-term memory. In
fact, Adderall does just the
opposite, causing otherwise
healthy college students to
have decreases in short-term
memory. Interestingly, Dr.

Lieberman refers to Adderall
as a “lazy drug” because
it causes people to believe
and act as if they don’t
have to put forth the same
mental eff ort to do things,
supporting today’s modern
expectation theory on
dopamine. He compares the
laziness to the analogy of
using the escalators every
day. If a person chooses to
use the escalator every day
instead of using their legs
to walk up and down the
stairs, over time, increased
escalator usage will weaken
the legs, making it diffi cult to
use the stairs.

After extensively
researching the results of
dopamine in a person’s brain
and the eff ects of using the
Adderall drug to increase
dopamine (and therefore
treat the person diagnosed
with ADHD),
Dr. Lieberman concluded
that “if a person does not
have ADHD, Adderall will
not improve performance.”
Parents and teens alike
need to be aware of the
information and dire
statistics of non-ADHD-
diagnosed college students
taking Adderall illegally
for the purpose of having
extra energy to work more
effi ciently in school. It could
be something as simple
as talking to your teen’s
pediatrician and school
counselors and keeping
abreast of current social
trends. (An excellent source
of information for parents
is the Addiction Blog,
writt en by the American
Addiction Centers.)
It’s always appropriate
to ask questions. Always.

If parents and teens hear
about a college student who
is taking Adderall and has
exhibited erratic behavior,
ask how that student
obtained Adderall. Was it
illegally obtained?
Dr. Lieberman refers to
this as “students gett ing
[Adderall] on the sly,
usually from a friend who
gets it from a doctor.” The
American Addiction Centers
refers to this as “prescription
diversion.” As with any other social
problem facing teens
today, the fi rst barrier
to the problem lies with
the parents. Parents must
open all channels of
communication with their
teens. Talk to them freely
and openly about anything
going on in the teens’ lives.

If parents hear about trends
in illicit drug use, share
those fi ndings with your teen
children. Help prepare your
teens for college by opening
their eyes to the real current
dangers of illicit use of the
Adderall drug.

Open communications
with a loving, gentle
approach with teens may
stop teens from becoming a
part of the statistic of college
students who use Adderall
without a prescription.

Amanda M. Socci is a mother
and freelance writer living in
Alexandria, VA.

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