Adderall is one of three drugs commonly prescribed to treat and control attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This is a neurological disorder that similarly affects both adults and children. It seems, however, that far more people are being diagnosed with ADHD during the last decade. "Current estimates suggest that approximately 56% of youths aged 4 to 17 receive these medications for treatment of their ADHD" (Jardin, Looby, and Earleywine 373). Adderall, a stimulant, acts to primarily control impulses and distractions, but it also has many negative effects, one of which is sluggishness. It significantly increases the level of activity in the user's brain, further enhancing his or her ability to concentrate for extended periods of time. Today, medical practitioners regularly see students who report the inability to concentrate on their school work. Their hope is typically to manipulate their way into getting their hands on this "study drug". As a result of this miscommunication, thousands of children are improperly diagnosed with ADHD and have began to regularly use this stimulant based drug for the sole purpose of enhancing their studying and test taking abilities. The time has come to ask ourselves if this "brain-enhancer" is truly beneficial or just plain harmful. .
There has been an abundance of research done on the effects of Adderall and other stimulant drugs on the human brain. Researchers have found that Adderall primarily affects the frontal cortex, which is the area responsible for executing the mind's decisions. When the brain is unable to execute properly, the person experiences a lacking ability to concentrate and finish the task at hand. Adderall works by producing an abundance of the neurotransmitter dopamine, thereby preventing the reuptake of dopamine into the transmitting neuron. As a result, the user experiences a greatly increased ability to focus from the expanded flow of dopamine in the frontal cortex.
