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More children are misusing drugs intended to treat ADHD, research says

By Mallika Marshall, MD

April 19, 2023 / 5:30 PM EDT / CBS Boston

BOSTON - While more American children are being diagnosed with ADHD and treated with prescription stimulants, more kids are using these drugs who aren't supposed to be using them.

Researchers from the University of Michigan looked at data on more than 200,000 U.S. students between 8th and 12th grade and found that as many as one in four students are misusing ADHD drugs. That is taking them without a doctor's approval or prescription, usually borrowing them from friends to enhance their academic performance.

But kids who take them without a clear medical reason are more likely to develop a substance use disorder, neuropsychological problems, and depression, and may be less likely to graduate from school.

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ADHD

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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