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Multimodal Protocol for Assessing Metacognition and Self-Regulation in Adults with Learning Difficulties
Published on: September 27, 2020
ADHD in the college student: is anyone else worried?
1University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA. lawrence.diller@ucsf.edu
Abstract:
The illegal, non-prescriptive use of prescription stimulants appears to be growing among college students. Recent analyses using DSM-IV criteria suggest that this group of misusers may actually represent cases of undiagnosed ADHD. Such analyses, however, are limited by a diagnostic system that is neither contextural nor dimensional. The ADHD symptoms of the newly diagnosed college student may be highly context and time specific and represent a normal response to temporarily increased demands on intellect and motivation. Diagnosing college students who are misusing stimulants with ADHD runs the risk of further trivializing the ADHD diagnosis. Also from a historical perspective, legitimizing the use of prescription stimulants in this age group may unintentionally only further increase the likelihood of a greater prescription stimulant abuse epidemic.
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