Studying on steroids, student concentration spans

By: Ofentse Tladi

Students take unprescribed drugs to increase their concentration spans and study for longer periods.

A student at his study desk. Photo: Ofentse Tladi. Disclaimer: Pills illustrated are not the said drugs Ritalin and Adderrall

Academic pressure is a well-known occurrence among students. A UJ student, who has chosen to remain anonymous, has admitted to their usage of unprescribed concentration drugs like Ritalin and Adderall as students, to achieve higher levels of concentration as they study. As someone who works near private institutions and universities, Dr. Magana, a general practitioner based in Centurion, has noted that he tends to get students coming to him with side effects.

"They abuse energy drinks. The energy drinks give them strength for a while but since they overuse it, they end up having mental blocks due to the overstretching of their brains. It can either be said drugs or the energy drinks."

Dr. Magana has noted that the drugs have addiction patterns. The effectiveness of the drugs can foster into a continuation of the usage by students who aren't prescribed to use the drugs, he further added.

Without the usage of one of the concentration drugs, said UJ student normally studies for twenty minutes and can force it to be longer. But, with the usage of one of the drugs, the student hardly even checks the time. The unprescribed drugs are usually acquired through "a friend who knows a friend."

What should rather be encouraged, Dr. Magana added, are programmes within schooling systems that form part of a support system for students with low concentration spans or anxiety or mental issue but don't necessarily need the drug.

Dr. Magana stated that campus radio stations within private institutions or universities can be used to share important information about such drug usages and that people should rather think of themselves as individuals rather than doing very same thing that seems to be working for someone else.

"Every person will respond to a particular substance and environment differently. So, it's therefore not a one stop shop for everyone," he ended off.