ADHD medication abuse in schools is a 'wake-up call'
Students Are Misusing ADHD Medications. This Has Happened Before. Here's What Parents Can Do.
What Happened
CNN reports on concerns about ADHD medication abuse among students in schools. The article frames this as a significant warning sign requiring attention from parents, educators, and healthcare providers.
Historical Context
Stimulant medication misuse among college students has been documented since the 1990s, with studies showing 15-30% of students have used prescription stimulants non-medically at some point. The 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found 4.8 million people aged 12+ misused prescription stimulants in the past year. This issue peaked around 2011-2013 and has remained relatively stable since. Adderall and similar medications have been called "study drugs" for decades - this is not a new phenomenon, just renewed attention to an ongoing issue.
What's In Your Control
• How you store and monitor any prescription medications in your home
• Whether you have honest conversations with your children about drug use and academic pressure
• Your own modeling of healthy coping strategies for stress and performance
• Whether you contribute to academic pressure that might drive students toward shortcuts
• Supporting school policies around mental health resources and reasonable academic expectations
Does This Require Action?
If you're a parent or educator - this requires awareness and possibly action through conversations and proper medication security. If you're neither, this requires awareness only. Permission granted: You don't need to panic about an "epidemic" - this is an ongoing issue that deserves measured attention, not crisis response.
Source: CNN