Last week we wrote an article about how exam time can cause stress and anxiety amongst students, and reminded teachers to be vigilant about the signs that students may be feeling overwhelmed. In this article we discuss how those emotions can lead students to turn to drugs to help them get through their exams and how schools can help their students to ensure that they know about the dangers and consequences of drug use at school.

Why drugs?

For anyone who has sat an exam and felt concerned about their performance in it, the feelings they experienced before sitting the exam are probably more memorable than the exam itself. Feelings of stress and anxiety can result in adrenaline being released by the body as it reacts to a 'fight or flight' situation. The adrenaline rush may make people feel empowered for a short period of time but the aftermath can often have a negative effect on the body as the adrenaline dissipates. Fatigue and lack of concentration can result - a disastrous combination for any student trying to study for multiple exams over a short time frame.

In other cases, students may also experience a loss of appetite which can exacerbate a person's fatigue levels, especially if they experience difficulty sleeping.

While some students may be able to manage their exam stress by sharing their feelings with parents, friends or teachers and getting advice to help them combat the effects of stress naturally, others may not want to confide in others and might rely on the use stimulants to help them focus and get through their next exam.

Coffee and Red Bull?

The sight of teenagers drinking from take-away coffees on their way to school is a common sight today, and a sign of our coffee culture. Like anything, if drunk in moderation, coffee does not have to be a negative part of a student's daily diet. However, excessive consumption of coffee or energy drinks, could have unintended consequences - especially if taken as means of staying awake during exam time. According to an article in the Daily Telegraph, HSC students have been warned that 'stimulants such as caffeine can damage their health and their chances of peak exam performance'.

While the concept of a coffee binge has to some extent been normalised by TV shows and movies (but should still be discouraged), the fact that stressed students are also turning to other substances to help keep them stay awake to study is a more worrying trend.

The Daily Telegraph article states that many schools are warning their students to 'go easy on the substances' - and by 'substances' they mean 'all of them: caffeine, cigarettes, coffee, No-Doz (a caffeine tablet), alcohol, marijuana, Ritalin, dexamphetamine and any other drugs'.

The effects of cigarettes, alcohol and marijuana are well-known and students, parents and schools should all be aware of the dangers of their use. But the recreational effects of Ritalin and dexamphetamine may be less understood.

Or prescription drugs?

Ritalin is a type of methylphenidate and, like dexamphetamines, is a stimulant commonly prescribed to treat attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). While there are obvious legitimate applications for these drugs when prescribed, when taken illegally without medical supervision, they can potentially be dangerous.

According to an article by CBS News on the use of ADHD drug use by college students and whether or not it constitutes cheating, a number of US studies have found students frequently obtain stimulants by faking ADHD symptoms such as restlessness, inability to concentrate and disorganisation. The article also refers to a particular study by the Pediatric Academic Society conducted amongst 616 students across all ages at an unnamed Ivy League school which found that 'the majority of them - 69 percent - took the medication to write an essay; 66 percent did so to study for an exam; and 27 percent used the drugs to take a test'.

Although the article describes a pattern of drug use in American college students, the same moral and health issues apply to Australian school students.

What can schools do?

As part of exercising their duty of care towards students, schools should be alert to any new trends amongst students which may pose a threat to their safety. The sharing of prescription medication such as Ritalin by students with ADD or ADHD with students without those conditions is one example of something schools should watch out for at exam time.

Policies and procedures on illicit drug use should be wide enough to capture drug use which includes taking medication not prescribed for a student. It should also encompass situations where students may be tempted to share or trade their own prescription medications. It should be made clear that this is not acceptable.

Although it can be hard to limit a student's intake of coffee and energy drinks outside of school hours, schools can educate their students on the negative effects of their consumption as part of drug and health education, and safe studying practices classes.

Of course, the best way to avoid the negative effects of stimulants at exam time is to avoid taking them altogether and Headspace has a useful set of safe studying tips to help students get through exam stress naturally. See Headspace's website for more information.