> Attention-deficit drugs increase concentration in the short term, which is why they work so well for college students cramming for exams.
> Versions of these drugs had been given to World War II radar operators to help them stay awake and focus on boring, repetitive tasks.
> And when we reviewed the literature on attention-deficit drugs again in 1990 we found that all children, whether they had attention problems or not, responded to stimulant drugs the same way.
I've always been baffled how I didn't see this for myself years ago - after all, that's exactly what caffeine does for millions of people.
Worse, though, people with ADHD are prescribed stimulants for long-term use, and even after the medicine ceases to be effective - because your body adapts to it over time - you can't just stop taking it, because withdrawal sucks.
[1] http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/29/opinion/sunday/childrens-a...
I get much less impulsive also, car rental managd my own mood much better. My blood pressure add resting heartrate has also improved since I started with the stimulants. A bit unusual according to my doctors.
YMMV - the medication is crude, but being without is not really an option - it's really nice to start being able to plan, and actually decide what actions to take instead of simply doing whatever feelt good at the time.
I should probably talk to my doctor to see if I have ADHD, instead of occasionally self-medicating.
Students low on the attention spectrum (but either just above ADHD diagnosis or without the resources to get diagnosed) are probably more likely to self-medicate.
So, the fact that some students who self-select for self-medication show improvements isn't necessarily evidence that someone in the middle or upper end of the attention spectrum will see improvements. However, it does suggest a need for research into the effects on randomly selected non-ADHD-diagnosed people.
Definitely not generally true.
Why do people continue saying this?
A lot of people just get better lives. YMMW.
Perhaps there's something else in ADHD people wiring that cause a different response, but even normal college students took ADHD medication to help focus.