Parents are really confused about ADHD and ADD because we hear so much about kids who are abusing Adderall and Ritalin and other medications that are used as stimulants. If a child has Attention Deficit Disorder or Hyperactivity Disorder and a doctor prescribes these medications, they can change everything in their life. Kids can function better. They are more focused. They do well in school. They do better socially. But it has to be in a situation where a child has these conditions and it has to be diagnosed by a psychiatrist, and the drugs have to be prescribed by a psychiatrist. What´s happening is that these drugs are being used more and more by kids who perceive or who have been taught or who somehow have this idea that those medications are going to help them focus better, do better in school. Kids are using them to study, to cram all night before big tests, to take their SATs, to do research papers, and in some cases in really kind of sad, horrific circumstances. I have heard from people whose parents actually have given them these medications because they are so concerned about their kids competing. For a child who doesn´t have one of these disorders, these pills are dangerous and ultimately they are addictive. There are kids who are going into treatment at a higher and higher rate because they are addicted to Adderall and Ritalin. And ironically, the research shows that they don´t help kids perform better. Kids who end up using these medications don´t do better in school whether it is high school or college, so we have to really educate people to understand the difference. If you have got these illnesses and if you are working with a doctor, it can be life-changing. Medications like this can be life-changing, but they are also really dangerous when they are abused.