Abstract
Objective
The authors aimed to determine the prevalence of ADHD diagnosis and the prevalence of nonmedical prescription stimulant use among a sample of medical students.
Methods
An anonymous survey was administered to 388 medical students (84.0% return rate) across all 4 years of education at a public medical college.
Results
Eighteen medical students (5.5%) reported being diagnosed with ADHD and 72.2% of those students were diagnosed after the age of 18. Thirty-three medical students (10.1%) reported using prescription stimulants for nonmedical purposes during their lifetime. The most commonly reported motivation for nonmedical prescription stimulant use was to improve academic performance. There was no significant correlation between an ADHD diagnosis and a history of nonmedical prescription stimulant use (p = 0.072).
Conclusion
This survey suggests that medical students appear to be a relatively high-risk population for nonmedical prescription stimulant use.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
McCabe SE, Knight JR, Teter CJ, et al: Non-medical use of prescription stimulants among US college students: prevalence and correlates from a national survey. Addiction 2005; 100:96–106
Teter CJ, McCabe SE, Cranford JA, et al: Prevalence and motives for illicit use of prescription stimulants in an undergraduate student sample. J Am Coll Health 2005; 53:253–262
Low KG, Gendaszek AE: Illicit use of psychostimulants among college students: a preliminary study. Psychol Health Med 2002; 7:283–287
Kollins SH, MacDonald EK, Rush CR: Assessing the abuse potential of methylphenidate in nonhuman and human subjects: a review. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2001; 68:611–627
Babcock Q, Byrne T: Student perceptions of methylpheni-date abuse at a public liberal arts college. J Am Coll Health 2000; 49:143–145
Kroutil LA, Van Brunt DL, Herman-Stahl MA, et al: Non-medical use of prescription stimulants in the United States. Drug Alcohol Depend 2006; 84:135–143
Johnston LD, O’Malley PM, Bachman JG: Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975–2002, vol II: College Students and Adults Ages 19–40. NIH Publication No. 03-5376. Bethesda, Md, National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2003
Carroll BC, McLaughlin TJ, Blake DR: Patterns and knowledge of nonmedical use of stimulants among college students. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2006; 160:481–485
Hall KM, Irwin MM, Bowman KA, et al: Illicit use of prescribed stimulant medication among college students. J Am Coll Health 2005; 53:167–174
Teter CJ, McCabe SE, Boyd CJ, et al: Illicit methylphenidate use in an undergraduate student sample: prevalence and risk factors. Pharmacotherapy 2003; 23:609–617
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Tuttle, J.P., Scheurich, N.E. & Ranseen, J. Prevalence of ADHD Diagnosis and Nonmedical Prescription Stimulant Use in Medical Students. Acad Psychiatry 34, 220–223 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ap.34.3.220
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ap.34.3.220