Executive function requires a combination of working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control-all of which can be impaired in people with ADHD. The symptoms of ADHD, which is a neurodevelopmental disorder, first show up during childhood, but is a lifelong disorder, for which many adults will continue to need medication throughout the course of their life.ĪDHD impacts a person’s executive functioning, which is the ability to plan, prioritize, and execute complex tasks, whether it’s completing a large project, juggling multiple priorities, or working toward a long-term goal. "Your cognition is not better, your performance is not better." For people with ADHD, these drugs yield a different outcomeĪlthough ADHD medications such as Ritalin and Adderall won’t make a person smarter, there is a significant amount of evidence showing that, when used appropriately for the management of ADHD, they can have a profound impact on a person’s quality of life. “They were spending more effort, but their performance was not going up,” says Peter Bossaerts, a professor of economics at the University of Cambridge, and a co-author of the paper.įor people without ADHD, "taking these medicines may motivate you to perform better, but the end result is not better," says Asim Shah, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Baylor College of Medicine. In a recent study, published in the journal Science Advances, participants without an ADHD diagnosis were given the medications Ritalin, Adderall, Provigil or a placebo, after which they were asked to solve a complex problem, one that involved calculating the weights and values of items to put in a knapsack with limited space.Īs the researchers showed, although participants worked much harder to solve the problem after taking a dose of ADHD medication, compared to taking a placebo, the accuracy of their attempts decreased. "People have the false idea that these are cognitive enhancers, that it doesn’t matter whether you have a diagnosis or not, that this is going to improve your performance," says Cesar Soutullo, a professor of psychiatry at UTHealth Houston, who specializes in treating ADHD.
Whether it’s taking Ritalin to cram for a test, or Adderall to manage working a night shift, these medications have acquired a reputation as "smart drugs," capable of helping people perform better at complicated tasks, even when they don’t have ADHD, a perception that has persisted in spite of a lack of evidence. Adderall and Ritalin, medications used to manage symptoms of attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder, have long been considered study aids for people without ADHD.
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