Tag Archives: medical

“I don’t do drugs, only Ritalin”: A Closer look at the use of neuro-enhancers among students

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Apologies for the watermark; I was not able to buy the license that comes with the free software to remove it.

It’s a Smartie-sized, white pill that comes in an innocuous-looking box and so far Shareef*, eighteen, has taken one Ritalin in the morning for the past week. He writes his first mid-year matric exam in two days time – Science. It could make or break his chances at getting into medicine. And, despite the fact that he was never diagnosed with a form of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), he was proscribed it by his General Practioner, and has been swallowing it on an ad-hoc basis since the beginning of Grade Eleven. In fact, if you haven’t been properly clued up, Ritalin may seem like a great way to power through your final high school exams.

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