Study: 1 in 10 De Anza students use prescription stimulants 41%
recieve from a friend
1.8 million
Stimulants include
individuals reported misusing prescription stimulants in 2017
Difficulty breathing Irregular heartbeat High blood pressure Depression Anxiety or aggression Hallucinations Seizures Suicidal thoughts Sleep disturbance Loss of appetite Headache Muscle weakness
STAFF REPORTER
recieve stimulants from a pharmacy
of those who use stimulants take adderall
Side effects of Adderall
Lianna Martinez
41%
64%
74% of those who use stimulants misuse them
18 to 25
Methylphenidates - Concert, Ritalin Amphetamines - Adderall, Dexedrine
Used to tread ADHD and narcolepsy
misuse most prevalent among age group
How students use stimulants
How to get help
30.8%
to improve academic performance
7.7%
to experience feeling of euphoria
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 1-800-662-HELP
9.6%
9.6%
Substance Use Services 1(800) 488-9919
to control sleep
40.4%
to focus and concentrate
to lose weight
3.8%
to manage stress
The National Poison Control Center (800) 222-1222 In a life threatening emergency Call 911
Sources: Data from survey of 308 De Anza students by Daniel Ju, Annabel Koh, Peter Pham, Andrae Ladores and the Center on Addiction
Misuse of ADHD medication prevalent among De Anza College students A group of De Anza College student researchers found that 10% of surveyed students misused a prescription stimulant used to treat Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder or narcolepsy. Daniel Ju, Annabel Koh, Peter Pham and Andrae Ladores surveyed 308 students on their use of prescription stimulants. The results show that 31 students used prescription stimulants in the past year. Prescription stimulants include amphetamines, including Adderall, and methylphenidates, such as Ritalin and Concerta.
Adderall is prescribed to primarily treat ADHD and narcolepsy. It is a highly addictive drug and abuse may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence, according to the American Addiction Centers. The effects of the drug include increased alertness, attention span, energy and feelings of euphoria. Adderall has reportedly been illegally misused by college students to improve their academic performance and increase concentration according to Ju, head student researcher of the project. There has been an increase in usage of Adderall and other prescription stimulants among
students, according to Koh. Prescription stimulant misuse is defined as taking a medication in a manner other than prescribed, taking someone else’s prescription or taking a medication to experience a feeling of euphoria, according to the research group. Ju said the main reason the group conducted the research was because this kind of study had not been done for a local community college. “You do read a lot of statistics out there on the use and misuse of Adderall and other prescription stimulants, but most of those studies are centered around 4 year universities, which really have a different culture, different student
population,” said Ju. “We were really curious what it would look like here at De Anza community college. The research also yielded an unexpected use for amphetamines not misused to studying. “One surprising thing in terms of why they used it was weight loss because we think of adderall as the drug for studying,” said Koh. 9.6% of the students surveyed stated they used prescription stimulants to lose weight. Adderall can cause stomach issues if taken in high dosages, according to the research project, but is not an approved weight loss medication by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
News page 5 Board of Trustees votes to demolish Flint Center
Opinions page 7 Poll: 33% of students said DASB senators should be paid
Graduates pages 11-14 List of graduating De Anza College students and honors
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Don Le STAFF REPORTER
Mental health services revisited The De Anza College psychological services department will face significant changes including finding new staff, locations and ways to assist the increasingly large number of student appointments the office receives per day. After sharing space with veteran services, the psychological services offices will be assigned in the second floor of the Registration and Student Services building. The change is in response to a rising number of students, according to data and program information provided by Michele LeBleu-Burns, dean of student development and Extended Opportunities Programs and Services. “Psychological services will be moving to a new location fall quarter. We will be upstairs by the counseling department to better assist the needs of students,” said William Firmender, councilor of psychological services.
> SEE: SERVICES, P.4
DASB to publish senate newsletter Mehek Kapur STAFF REPORTER
The DASB senate presented goals for the next academic year, including publishing a DASB newsletter, at the June 10 meeting. “I feel La Voz brings the worst of us to the public, so I feel having our own voices out to the public will be useful for us,” said DASB senator Allison Shevtsov. “We’re making sure we’re active in having our voices heard and that [the students] are aware of what we’re doing,” said DASB senator Amine El Moznine. Every year, the annual governance reflection is an open discussion on the senate’s goals within shared governance committees, the missions and values of De Anza and effectively disseminated information. The DASB senate announced some new plans they hope will help make their processes and goals more transparent. One example of this is a new time card program.
> SEE: DASB, P.4