Letter to the Editor

I've been recovering from my recent operation, the removal of 4 impacted wisdom teeth, and today I had an opportunity to read the Sunday paper (the Sun Herald). I was quite startled at the feature article, one on how HSC students are using "quick fix" stimulant medication to study better. So I wrote this letter...


Dear editor ,

I just wanted to write a response to the article published in today's sun herald on page 8 from an adult who manages the outspoken diagnosis of ADHD.

I do believe it is concerning that students are using prescription medication such as Ritalin, concerta or dex to concentrate and study. However from your article I was lead to believe that this is simply why people with ADHD take medication, for a 'quick fix'. This ideology is one held and expressed often in public opinion, and for persons without ADHD taking stimulant medications will have this effect. However, for the high percentage of children and adults managing ADHD on a daily basis, with or without stimulant medication, the idea of a 'quick fix' is far from correct.

Stimulant medication in persons with diagnosed ADHD (in most cases) opens up neural pathways in the brain and allows access to an array of cognitive skills and functions that were not able to be used before. Symptoms from this inactivity of the brain are the ones most often stereotyped: loud, in attentive, fidgety, disruptive , etc. There are also different types of ADHD, and I was diagnosed with a less common version, called Attention Deficit hyperactivity Disorder Inattentive Type. This generates the same internal symptoms without the hyperactivity.

I would like to highlight that from a medical standpoint , ADHD is predominantly a neurological disorder with behavioral traits or implications. There is a lot of misuse of stimulant medication , like strong pain killers, however for persons with diagnosed ADHD who manage with stimulant medication, this is allowing access to a part of the brain that generally everyday people can access. More importantly it is allowing people with ADHD to utilize higher order skills to make the best out of their brain- whether that be in study, relationships or being stuck in traffic.

The misuse of stimulant medication is persons with out ADHD is alarming , because it is stimulating a brain with no deficit , and hence giving the ''12 hour study session''. When a person with ADHD takes stimulants on a regular basis, there is no high; buzz; extra energy or extra motivation. There is simply a platform for 'head space' and and opportunity to use the brain we have .

As mentioned earlier, I thought it was important for a person with ADHD's perspective to be heard , so thank you for reading .

If you want any more information please don't hesitate to contact me.

Kind regards,
Emily

** And, in case you were wondering, they didn't reply...