Some students feel that it is necessary to use medicine or illegal drugs to live up to the demands they meet during their studies. However, most students do not see themselves as abusers and instead they legitimise the use of so-called "study drugs", new research from the Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research at Aarhus University shows.
01.09.2020 | TINE BAGGER CHRISTIANSEN
According to the research, increased focus in society on individual performance, competition and efficiency are some of the reasons why the use of medicine and illegal drugs is perceived as a solution for some students. A qualitative study among 60 Danish students from different educational institutions and with a self-reported use of medicine or drugs shows that it is not just about good grades, but to a great extent also about reducing the feeling of stress, fatigue or boredom.
However, it is symptomatic that many of these students do not see the use of medicine and drugs as a problem, Project Manager and Associate Professor Jeanett Bjønness from the Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research at the Department of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences at Aarhus BSS points out. The results of the study have been published in outlets such as the Norwegian Journal of Sociology (”Norsk sosiologisk tidsskrift”) and in the "Drugs: education, prevention and policy" journal 1) .
"Young people legitimise the use of medicine and drugs by saying that they are in control, and that the use is harmless and acceptable, despite the fact that it is illegal. Instead, they focus on the fact that the drugs are making them more productive and thereby making their lives better. To put it another way, they defend their own use of drugs because they have what they consider to be the right intentions with it and they distance themselves from ‘the addicts’,” Jeanett Bjønness says and continues:
"It's part of a wider trend in Western, industrialised societies to strive for a "successful self" that is active and effective."
Students' use of performance-enhancing medicine
In the US, research shows that between seven and 34 per cent of college students use medicine such as Adderal and/or Ritalin for the purpose of improving their academic performance Note1). These medications are mainly prescribed to people diagnosed with attention disorders such as ADHD or ADD.
In recent years, an increasing number of studies have also confirmed similar use in Europe, albeit to a lesser extent than in the US 2).
In a Danish survey study (Djøf, 2018), almost eight per cent of the university students say that they have used performance-enhancing medicine in order to improve their academic performance. 21 per cent of these have used the ADHD medicine Ritalin, while 47 per cent have used beta blockers, which are normally prescribed for disorders such as angina or high blood pressure, but which in recent years have been increasingly prescribed in connection with exam anxiety, for example. Many students refer to the product in line with other performance-enhancing medicines, and that is why it is also mentioned here, even though it is not known to be exchanged between the students or traded on the black market in the same way as, for example, Ritalin.
75 per cent of all students who state that they have used performance-enhancing medicine say that they have used the medicine in connection with exams or preparation for exam 3).
Motives for using medicine and drugs
The use of illegal drugs and medicine among students is seen at the same time as international research indicates that there is an increased pressure on students to perform academically 4).
Young people perceive good performances as the ideal for a good life, and they have the perception that happiness is almost a requirement.
"Several studies suggest that the use is due to an increased pressure on young people and a strong performance culture in the Western countries, but some use it because they are bored and find it more fun to study if they use medicine or drugs," Jeanett Bjønness explains.
"All of these concepts indicate that the students are aiming at goals that make them feel inadequate to some extent, and that taking medicine or drugs is a strategy for reaching for goals that may otherwise be perceived as difficult or unattainable."
Jeanett Bjønness, associate professor, Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research, Department of Psychology and Behavioural Science, Aarhus BSS.
Difference between genders
Jeanett Bjønness' study also points out that especially male students take study drugs in the form of Ritalin to be able to concentrate better, while the female students choose beta blockers to keep their nerves under control. However, students use a lot of other drugs to feel and perform better, from caffeine and alcohol to cannabis and various amphetamine-like drugs.
At the same time, the study shows that many young people, and mostly women, find that they compromise on their personal ideals when they use medicine and drugs in order to live up to the demands of the performance society, while men are more likely to use medicine and drugs for reasons of optimisation which they see as relatively unproblematic. Women are generally more concerned with the ethical problems associated with their use of drugs than men.
Crutch or walker
The young people also describe the use of performance-enhancing drugs in different ways. Many focus on the fact that the performance-enhancing drugs seem to sharpen their attention and make them more focused. The effect of, for example, the ADHD medicine Ritalin is described by "Philip" as an experience of being "streamlined." Others, like "Louise", describe the use of Ritalin as a way to "push yourself a little.” "Axel" describes his use of Ritalin as a "crutch", while "Hanna" describes her use of beta blockers as a "walker." "Kaj" refers to smoking cannabis as a way to remove education-related stress – as a "reset button."
"All of these concepts indicate that the students are aiming at goals that make them feel inadequate to some extent, and that taking medicine or drugs is a strategy for reaching for goals that may otherwise be perceived as difficult or unattainable," Jeanett Bjønness says while pointing out that one weakness of the study can be that the 60 voluntary participants do not constitute a representative sample of Danish students.
Correlation with increase in diagnoses
The use of drugs should also be seen in the context of the Western countries’ increasing number of young people who are diagnosed and treated medically for disorders such as ADHD, anxiety and depression. A part of this medicine will then circulate in the young people's networks and is not used medically 5).
Facts about the study:
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