The abuse of stimulant drugs within the medical education setting

The rising abuse of stimulant drugs – traditionally reserved for the treatment of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) – as cognitive enhancers in academic environments has serious implications in medical education and practice. In this article we report on the nature of these drugs, and the prevalence of their abuse in relation to ADHD diagnosis in Europe and abroad. We also highlight the ethical pitfalls of neuroenhancement in medicine to help forecast cultural and administrative changes that may be necessary to protect the integrity of the medical field in the future