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Disorder plagues college students
Some professors question rise, cast validity of claims aside
By Jessie Yale
jyale@mscd.edu

Photo illustration by Jenn LeBlanc • jkerriga@mscd.edu College students are prescribed more drugs than ever before to help with disorders such as ADD.

The number of college students with attention deficit disorder is growing, an increase that may be a result of higher demands at universities coupled with easier access to prescription drugs, according to an attention disorder expert.

In a recent audio conference, Thomas E. Brown, Yale University’s associate director of the Yale Clinic for Attention and Related Disorders, said the number of college students with ADD is growing. Brown attributes the disorder to brain function rather than behavior.

“A child or adult with ADD/ADHD can focus very well on a few activities that intensely interest them, yet are unable to focus adequately on most other tasks of daily life,” Brown said on his website.

According to Brown, current research explains how ADD/ADHD often looks like a weakness in willpower, but in reality is something different.

The increase in college students being diagnosed with ADD is due to several factors, said Carlos Fontanez, an assistant professor of psychology at Metro.

“Children are not diagnosed because they can get by in high school with decent enough grades that they never get tested,” Fontanez said.

Parents will often put off or refuse testing, and sometimes students themselves don’t want to be tested because there can be a stigma attached to the disorder, Fontanez said.

Additionally, the responsibilities are sometimes greater in college than in high school and the level of learning can be more demanding.

“When I was younger, I didn’t want to be one of those kids who had ADD, but once I got to college there was so much more responsibility on me to learn the material, and it was a lot more information than I was used to. I felt I had to do something so that I could accomplish my goals,” said Timor Rassekh, 23, a junior at Metro. “After I was put on the medication (a stimulant pharmaceutical called Dexedrine), I could focus better and actually remember the chapters I had read the night before. And because I could do it I became more driven in what I wanted to do.”

Rassekh explained that he has always been a very smart student and always knew what he needed to do. He said his problem was mustering enough focus to follow through.

“College is a different kind of education. It’s more intense, and because of the Equal Opportunity and Americans with Disabilities Act, students who are diagnosed with ADD can get extended test-taking time, help with studying, and other accommodations to get them the help they need,” Fontanez said.

There is also a dark side to this phenomenon, because students know that if they are diagnosed with ADD they can get access to prescribed medications, opening the door for abuse.

"Along with those who do actually have ADD, there are those who mimic the symptoms of ADD so that they can be prescribed the medication,” Fontanez said.

Prescribed ADD medications such as Adderall, Ritalin and Concerta are popular among those who don’t have the disorder because they are considered to be “uppers.”

“Students go learn the symptoms of ADD on the Internet and then go into the doctor and mimic those symptoms. They are then prescribed the medication,” Fontanez said. “During exam time they can go out and sell the medication to students who feel they need to stay up for long periods of time to study.”

Another issue with the rise in students with ADD is that many can be misdiagnosed. According to Fontanez, 55 percent to 60 percent of people diagnosed with ADD may not actually have the disorder.

"Children who are hyper and disruptive can be diagnosed with ADD as a quick fix,” Fontanez said. “The symptoms of ADD can also be attributed to several other factors including anxiety, depression, high blood pressure and diet.”

The pressures of living in today’s society may also affect the number of people who actually have ADD.

“Everything in society is rushed, and it’s hard for anyone to keep their attention on one thing for long. I think this can influence social and cognitive ADD,” Fontanaz said.