Myomancy ADHD, Dyslexia and Autism

University are high pressure environments where students risk a bad degree and poor prospects if they slip in their work. Human nature being what it is, students are always trying to get the most benefit from the least work and in modern University’s this means the use of stimulants. The journal Addiction examined the use of prescription stimulants for non-medical purposes. Over 4% of students questioned had used the stimulants in the past year and also “use was higher among college students who were male, white, members of fraternities and sororities and earned lower grade point averages. Rates were higher at colleges located in the north-eastern region of the US and colleges with more competitive admission standards. Non-medical prescription stimulant users were more likely to report use of alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, ecstasy, cocaine and other risky behaviors.”
Its not just the stimulants like Ritalin that ADHD sufferers get, they also get extra time in exams and coursework. This has raised fears that students will attempt to fake a diagnosis of ADHD in order to gain access to stimulants and the extra time. To examine this possibility a new study was carried out to see how hard four standard diagnostic tools are to beat. Eighty college students were given five minutes to study the symptoms of ADHD and then take self-report questionnaires.

Participants ‘diagnosed’ as having ADHD

ADHD Rating Scale - 75%
Brown Adult ADHD Scale - 95%
Conners Adult ADHD Rating Scale - 90%
Wender Utah Rating Scale - 65%

As ADHD effects about 7% of the college population, it can be seen that some of these tests are extremely easy to fake. However these were self-report tests with no intervention from an educational psychologists or doctor so these results do not mean the participants would receive prescriptions for Ritalin but it might be enough to gain extra time in exams.

On Myomancy:Ritalin May Lead To Depression in Later Life, ADHD, Children and Medication
Further Information: Comparison of Ease of Falsification of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Diagnosis Using Standard Behavioral Rating Scales, Non-medical use of prescription stimulants among US college students: prevalence and correlates from a national survey