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Stimulant Use and the Potential for Abuse
There have been multiple reports in the media recently about the abuse potential of stimulant medications such as Ritalin, including stories about teens who are selling their medication at school. The June 1998 issue of the Journal of Development and Behavioral Pediatrics (pages 187-192) presented an interesting article related to this area of parental concern.
The purpose of the study, which was conducted in Wisconsin, was to describe stimulant use and abuse as reported by school administrators and by children diagnosed with ADHD/ADD. Five years after they were identified as responding positively to Ritalin, 161 children in middle school and high school were surveyed about their experiences taking medication. School principals were also surveyed about medication use policies in their schools.
The authors report that no child believed that stimulants as prescribed could lead to abuse. Sixteen percent of the children indicated, however, that they had been approached to sell, give, or trade their medication. Forty-four percent of children and 37% of the principals indicated that medication was stored unlocked at school, some schools did not have written policies regarding prescription drugs, and 10% of schools allowed children to carry their own medication.
I’m not sure what to make of these results, and it is certainly not possible to generalize from a relatively small sample that is confined to a single region with what is going on more generally in schools across the nation. Nonetheless, the number of children who indicate that they had been approached to sell or trade their medication is certainly disturbing. One thing this suggests is that for those of you who have middles school or high school age children who take medication, it may be important to discuss how they would handle this situation should it occur to them.
The fact that medication policy is also likely to be quite lax in many schools is also concerning. Certainly, making children responsible for taking their own medication - even for high school students - seems ill advised. I know that many of the children I have treated would just not remember to do this consistently, and it is unreasonable, in my opinion, for the school to expect this. Having children responsible for their own medication would also seem to increase the odds that they will be approached to sell or trade it. Finding out what the policy is at your child’s school, and taking action to change it if it seems unreasonable and not in your child’s best interest, would also be something to consider.
Note: This article originally appeared in Attention Research Update, an online newsletter written by Dr. David Rabiner, a Duke University psychologist and former member of CHADD's Professional Advisory Board. You can learn more about Attention Research Update and sign up for a free subscription at www.helpforadd.com.