Diagnoses of disorders such as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) were much less common 15 years ago than they are today. As the debate continues on whether or not all the diagnosed cases of ADD and ADHD are actually reasons to medicate, the accessibility of such medication opens doors to abuse. Since these drugs help with concentration and focus, their appeal to others outside the community of people with ADD or ADHD is obvious.

The use of prescription Adderall and other ADD medications, such as Ritalin, Vyvanse, and Concerta has become, if not common place, definitely not unheard of – especially on a campus as large as the University of Washington.

These medications can help reduce symptoms of inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsivity, also improving concentration skills in both children and adults — regardless of whether they are afflicted with ADD or ADHD. However, the use of these medications comes with side effects and health risks, and it’s not the only treatment option for such disorders. Because these disorders went largely undiagnosed until recently, prescription medication has become more often the go-to remedy for ADD and ADHD. However, this inadvertently leads to the use of prescription medication as an energy boost for people in need of a little extra drive for a short period of time.

Such stimulants will undoubtedly help relieve the immediate stress of having a paper due in 7 hours. However, because these drugs are amphetamines and have a high potential for abuse, the long-term effects are more detrimental than beneficial.

In addition to this, looking beyond the personal use and abuse of such medications on individual levels, we come to find ourselves amid a new generation of youth desensitized to the use of prescription drugs for non-medicinal purposes. While the appropriate use of psychotropic medications is a very immediate concern for many, the more long-term societal effects are where this issue becomes most relevant.

Medications for people with ADD and ADHD are undoubtedly extremely helpful for those who medically need help focusing. However, because of their accessibility and consequent abuse, we find ourselves among a growing generation of young people who resort to popping pills to solve their problems. Rather than learning time-management and study skills, students come to rely more and more on all-nighters supplemented by high doses of caffeine or prescription drugs.

While we all learn about the horrific evils of marijuana and tobacco in fifth-grade drug education, the use and abuse of prescription drugs goes largely unmentioned. This demonstrates a distressing incontinuity in society’s perceptions of drug use and abuse: Ritalin and Adderall are still amphetamines, legal or not. Rather than linking the legality of drugs with levels of danger, perhaps we should focus more on the desensitization and overmedication of the youth of today and the consequences that it has for the future.

Despite the beneficial and sometimes-necessary medication of people dealing with ADD or ADHD, the increasing availability, and consequent abuse, of such prescription medications invites a new vision of drug use and abuse to take hold.

Reach columnist Emily McFadden at opinion@dailyuw.com.