http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfM3x3yoRwA (Zip Line)
http://soc260casestudy.blogspot.com/
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6430949n&tag=contentBody;housing
MULTI-METHODS USED IN SIXTY MINUTES CASE STUDY
Student INTERVIEWS (Group/Individual)
Brookhaven Sleep Deprived EXPERIMENT (Dopamine Stimulation)
Alan DeSantos UK Communications Professor SURVEY of 2000 students ( more years/in Fraternity= more use)
--- Also Process: How get pills (student group confirm)
Unfair Advantage for users?? SURVEY: students believe improves grades.
EXPERIMENT: Some students get pills/ some placebo….. Mixed Results, but researcher supports use in future!! Published this in NATURE MAGAZINE: Controversial!!
EXPERT WITNESS: National Institute Of Drug Abuse (ADDICTION, Side Effects beyond addiction)
INTERVIEW: Young (31) Harvard Economic Professor: APPROVE-I use to finish writing my book.
CONGRUENT DATA: US Fighter Pilots use type of drug this to stay awake
Finish w/ Students… Future Unknown!
EXCERPTS FROM COMMENTS ON SIXTY MINUTES PAGE
These kids are taking the drugs because of insecurity, low self-esteem, poor learning skills, and the pathetic tribal tendencies of people who want to be like their peers. Real individuals don't need drugs. There is also a cowardice in their use of these drugs because they can't face their own inner weaknesses. Take it from a professor. YOU are not your A or your F.
This story reminded me of the claims LSD was the next step in psychological evolution in the late 50s and early 60s...if I remember correctly, Timothy Leary was a professor at Harvard too.
I am a sociologist who has been researching Adderall/Ritalin use among college students for several years. For this generation in particular, students are actively weighing medical use on a regular basis. Students and I have written a show called "Ritalin Monologues" to bring attention to the issues raised in our research - we have performed it on several liberal arts campuses. On the topic of negotiating Ritalin/Adderall use during and after college, please see our co-authored piece -- Grappling with the Medicated Self: The Case of ADHD College Students. Meika Loe, Leigh Cuttino. Symbolic Interaction 31(3):303-323 (2008).
Or see this article in Contexts magazine:
http://contexts.org/articles/spring-2008/the-prescription-of-a-new-generation/
Best,
Dr. Meika Loe
Associate Professor of Sociology
Colgate University
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
So how can we design a quick case study to evaluate
1) the phenomena of these drugs being used at BCTC and
2) the community awareness of this problem?
What is our hypothesis about existence of this at BCTC (through students, faculty, staff) and the awareness of people we know about this social change? (Do not limit your findings to this. Feel free to go where this research takes you (i.e. usage of this type of drugs on long work shifts).
Gil’s educated guesses:
1) Less involvement at BCTC because of several factors in story:
a) higher use in Seniors b) higher use in Fraternities, Sororities c) UK more community than commuter campus compared to BCTC (more inside social networks, inside peer pressure)
2) Community awareness of problem low (cultural lag) due to focus of problem mainly “on campus” and not usual illegal drugs even for prescription drugs.
Do these seem initially valid? What does class hypothesize thy will find?
What are the core questions?
What multi-methods can be used?
How do you gain access? (differ from Focus on students versus Focus on outsiders)
Ethics? Confidentiality?
How do you document? (confidentiality) Post to Blog. Gil will repost under his name not yours. Your post to me will be your FINAL EXAM. Everyone post something by next week.
We will meet next week to synthesize our findings on this.
This is very new to me. I havent really been around anyone that has used this drug.At least if they did, I didnt have any knowledge of them doing it. I dont know anything about it, besides of what ive watched from the video...
ReplyDeleteI think the awareness of taking certain drugs to study better is very prominent. Even at BCTC, I think students at community colleges are just as aware of taking aderall as students at universities. I have friends that are prescribed the pills and friends that buy them just around finals. They help students focus more on details and keep them awake to be fully consumed in what they are doing, whether its taking notes, writing a paper or studying. The affects are ridiculous on how fast and acuarate you can be on assignments under a short amount of time. I don't think students take pills because of of personal issues, I think it's because these pills are easily acquired and can keep you up all night to study. They increase the dopamine receptors in the brain which is more activity. It helps you stay focussed, and losing focus is a huge issue when it comes to finals week.
ReplyDeleteI heard someone state that it is easy to take the ADHD test to get the Adderol prescribed, I disagree because I work in the field of Psychiatry research and we recently ended a study on ADHD and alot of college students signed up for our study but could not pass the CARS testing, at the moment I cannot think of the definition for this acronym, but I will come back with this, I just know that we had to turn down quite a few college students that failed the test
ReplyDeleteAwareness: I had heard about it before, but I've never been around people that use it. More hear say.
ReplyDeleteEffects as you understand it so far: Keeps you awake and focused. Addicting.
What does 'dopeamean' do: produced by the brain-stimulant.
Awarness, and my understanding
ReplyDeleteI was not aware poeple were taking Adderall/Ritalin, this is very new. I can see the point of the students, why not take it if it'll help you stay alert and more focused.
I believe this is a widely known fact because of the publicity, a lot of people may not admit to it or awareness may go in phases to where sometimes it is really popular and sometimes its not, or that so many students wither know about it, that it's not breaking news anymore because it's become the norm, Opinion only.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it matters if your a junior or senior, i think it's if youre aware and if you know people that use ADHD stimulants. Almost all my friends take Aderall and some sell them to make money when needed. Are they addicting? I think any type of pills can be addicting, but "uppers" especially. So far no one I know is addicted to using them, but it could happen the more they are used. Taking pills to study is widely known among universities, especially here at UK. My sister even has professors who like their students better when they take aderall. Test scores are higher, completed homework is turned in on time, and term papers are more detailed. I also don't think it matters if you're a C student or an A student. I think it's more about wanting to be focussed especially for those who hate studying. I don't know anyone who actually likes to study. I was surprised for a story like this to be on 60 minutes though.
ReplyDeleteI have been very aware of the use of Adderall & became aware of it in high school. A friend of mine began taking it regularly with a prescription to improve his ADHD. Shortly after I began my education at BCTC I realized Adderall was incredibly easy to come by. Several of my friends have taken it & continue to use it to aid in their study habits and performance on tests and classwork in general. Just last night I was at the Library & heard someone going cubby to cubby asking for Adderall & offering to by Adderall off anyone who had it. A friend of mine actually has a prescription for it because she was tested for ADHD & diagnosed with ADHD. She mentioned that the test had very simple questions that one is able to distinguish as the ‘Yes, she/he has ADHD’ or ‘No, she/he does not have ADHD’ & so she was somewhat able to get through the test by answering more towards the ‘Yes, she/he has ADHD questions’ & was ultimately diagnosed with ADHD & was prescribed Adderall.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in high school, the friend who took it hated it... It made his heart race even if he was sitting still, doing nothing at all. It decreased his overall energy level, he lost interest in the things he once loved, he lost his appetite almost completely after a while, and in general felt very detached from life.
As a person who has a hard time studying & staying focused, especially during mundane tasks & things that are of little interest to me (writing papers, cramming for tests, etc.) there is a huge attraction to a substance that can help me get through these things, & to do them well. Although Adderall keeps you focused and detail-oriented, it also has it’s down sides. After being up all night & thoughout part of the day it will eventually wear off & leave you feeling exhausted & sleep-deprived. The friend of mine who got through the ADHD diagnostic test & still takes Adderall regularly has completely changed as a person. She is no longer fun & care-free, but incredibly lothargic & lackadaisical about things that normally brought her to life.
The idea that this becomes part of the ‘norm’ in the future is somewhat disturbing but also intriguing. I agree that anything we can do to better our brains and learning is a positive thing, but I do not like the idea of the brain damage, addiction, & psychosis that is associated with prolonged use. Hopefully if this does become the norm for people in the future, these frightening aspects can be resolved.
I personally don't think that this is something new to society. It has been going on for awhile, the only thing is it's just being brought to our attention b/c there are more students using it and making it more open to their usage of it. I am somewhat disappointed that there are just as many professors as well as students using the drug. I don't think that it's fair to those students who study on their own and not use drug enhancers.
ReplyDeleteOn morality and ethics of taking adderall without a perscription, that's definately a personal issue, but most of us are okay with it. A way in inhance your brain for better grades, is usually something we all want. Students are crazy about keeping their grades up for their future. I'm actually surprised that some people around BCTC haven't at least heard of taking uppers or the increase of taking them among students. I hear people ask for it almost every time that I'm at the library, and it's more prevalent around finals or midterms. But students use it to just study all the time. From watching the 60 minute news segment, one scientist thinks taking brain enhancers will one day be like plastic surgery. I agree, but more for in college students, not so much after.
ReplyDeleteit is really scary to know that the drugs are being sold. My question is, are the professors that take them for their own personl gain selling them to students too? I think there are some students on the BCTC campus do use them and there maybe a professor or two that may utilize these drugs also. WHAT IS THIS FREAKIN WORLD COMING TO?????????????
ReplyDeleteI think Adderall/Ritalin could be compared to sleeping pills where they’ll give you the advantage to get what you want, sleep. But in takeing sleep medication over and over you can get to a point where mentally you can't go to sleep without it. I think the same is true with Adderall and Ritalin, it gives you the advantage you need to get what you want, a good grade, but you can come to the point where you feel you can't study or make the grade without it. In this way i believe it can become addicting.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't the potential for use/abuse be relative to availability based on who you know, your personal ethics, and fear of the unknown.
ReplyDeleteI'm really skeptical of this article and the statistics used - even the examples used about the military and other respected professions. Another thing that makes me skeptical of the study is that 60 minutes was covering it - if it was something that was so widespread, would they have picked it to use as an attention getter for a national tv program? I highly doubt that if it were that big a problem that they would have picked it because everyone would've already known about it. 60mins would've taken a different approach in presenting the problem instead of something that would surprise us. I think the stats they used surprise us because they're not reliable.
At UK: A teacher surveyed 2000 students
ReplyDeleteWith 35%-40% of juniors and seniors take it.
4% have legitimate prescriptions sell leftovers
Drugs For Life: The 60min clip says that brain enhancing drugs will be common, just like cosmetic surgery. I think this is true, but sad. It’s like cheating. If you need them for real, fine; but if it’s just to ‘help’ it’s a joke. Get an A the right way. If it means only take one class a semester and going to tutoring every day fine! But don’t throw off the rest of us to save yourself.
HOOK ME UP!!!
ReplyDeleteSeriously,
ReplyDeleteIs this a Sixty Minutes Publicity Stunt? Is Case Study able to be generalized and if it is to where?
My initial finding is my generation knows "uppers", but not this application of these drugs or the extent claimed.
My next question is about younger ages? Is this common in High Schools? In middle schools? I will probe around. See what you can find. I will also talk to counselors at BCTC.
The thing about Social Change is we do not know the future. In five tears these drugs may be over the counter or approved by prescription for this type of use There sees to be much less a "stigma" about them than Marijuana.
The thing that strucK me about the story was the willingness of the students to talk about it openly. It did not seem like they were seeking the publicity.
I appreciate all your comments. And Keith's time. I will see you next week. If you have trouble staying awake during FINALS, Call me and I will hook you up with some Pepsi!!
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ReplyDelete