I'm interested to know what other people think
about the use of focus-enhancing drugs, like
Modafinil
(aka Provigil) or
Methylphenidate
(aka Ritalin, Concerta). I came across
this
article, which prompted several thoughts.
Friends and family: don't freak out, I'm not going to go illegally obtain
and consume these medications.
- People who have taken these drugs: how do they make you feel?
Did they work as prescribed? What side effects do you experience?
- People who haven't taken these drugs: go read about them, if you
haven't yet. Would you want to take them to enhance your ability to
focus and do productive work? Why or why not?
- Everyone: I note that diagnoses of ADD/ADHD are on the rise.
Do those diagnosed really have a problem that requires medication, or
might these drugs be overprescribed? How do we draw the line between
who needs medication and who just needs to get a grip on themselves
and exercise self-discipline? Should people be allowed to elect to take
the medication rather than develop self-discipline?
- Playing devil's advocate: In some sense, we could say that
parents/psychiatrists mandate the use of these drugs in what we might call
"underperforming" children. Why should or shouldn't we apply this standard
equally across society? If your IQ is lower than X, or you can't do task Y
as well as we'd like you to, why don't we medicate that?
Really neat compounds, but a stickerbrush of ethical issues.
Reader, if any of this interests you, I'd love to hear your views on
this matter.
Random sidenote: I really shouldn't look up diseases on Wikipedia before
I go to bed, because the images of afflicted people will inevitably be
stuck in my mind as I try to fall asleep, and that generally doesn't
help me relax.