KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23, 2010 / NEWS
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HEALTH
9
Study: ADHD symptoms are easy to fake
BY KIRSTEN KWON
kkwon@kansan.com
Despite suspicions that getting a prescription for Adderall is fairly easy, little evidence has been able to support this claim until now. A recent study published in the Psychological Assessment Journal, found that anyone with knowledge of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, regardless of whether they have ADHD, can pass a symptom checklist required for the medication.
As a freshman, Ayo Amadi struggled to focus on schoolwork. He decided to get tested for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or
ADHD. After only one visit and a series of questions, his doctor prescribed him Adderall—a drug highly sought by college students.
"He asked me how I've done in school, about my sleeping patterns
"It seems like it's very easy to get Adderall on this campus,which is horrible."
"It gave me a pleasant buzz and helped me focus, but after the first month it gave me headaches and I didn't feel good," Amadi said. "After a while I realized I didn't really need it."
and about my health, like how much I work out and how often I drink or smoke," Amadi, now a senior from Parsons, said. "He didn't run any actual tests. It was all on my input and what I said."
While many college students seek the drug's help to pull all-nighters for exams or get high, Amadi said he doesn't like to take his medication because of the negative side effects he experiences.
Physician at
Myra Strother, senior physician for Student Health Services, said anyone claiming to have ADHD needs to have documentation that they've had the symptoms since childhood. She said doctors need to look at multiple
areas of the person's life and should check up on their lifestyle.
“There’s no such thing as ‘I hit college and‘ got it’, Strother said. “Doctors need to think, do they have anxiety? Do they drink too much?”
Strother conducts ADHD screenings at Watkins Health Center on campus. She tests students to make sure there's a possibility they could have the disorder. From there Counseling and Psychological Services performs a full evaluation that consists of three to five sessions at $15 each.
"It seems like it's very easy to get Adderall on this campus, which is horrible," Strother said. "I can't imagine why anyone would go through
MYRA STROTHER
Student Health
Services
the whole testing process when they can just get it from someone else."
Whether students can fool doctors or buy the drug from others, Adderall is prevalent among college-
aged adults.
But the drug that allows students to procrastinate until the night before a due date can also give users serious health problems. Potential side affects of Adderall include dizziness, pounding heartbeats and insomnia.
"For people who abuse the drug on a normal basis it's really bad," Strother said. "Drinking with it can hurt your liver, you won't get enough sleep and people can get really anxious if it's not prescribed to them."
Strother said psychologists need to be careful not to give prescriptions to those who don't need it, but also to make sure not to deny medication to those who do.
"I've seen situations where doctors give people the medication too easily," Strother said. "But kids that actually have ADHD can be a lot more successful with medication."
Adderall is a stimulant used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. A recent study published in the Psychological Assessment Journal suggests that anyone with knowledge of ADHD symptoms could pass as someone who needs medication for the condition.
Mike Gunnoe/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
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