More Korean teenagers have experimented with controlled prescription drugs than have tried cigarettes, a new study showed, raising concerns about rising substance misuse among students.
The National Youth Policy Institute released the findings Wednesday in its report titled "Research on the State of Harmful Drug Use Among Youth and Policy Measures."
According to a survey of 3,384 middle and high school students nationwide, 5.2% of respondents said they had used at least one of seven types of controlled substances for "non-medical purposes," including treatments for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), appetite suppressants, sleeping pills, and tranquilizers or anti-anxiety drugs. The figure exceeds the share of teenagers who said they had ever smoked a cigarette in their lifetime, which stood at 4.2%.
ADHD medication emerged as the most commonly misused controlled substance among teenagers. Among respondents who said they had used controlled substances for non-medical purposes within the past six months, 24.4% identified ADHD drugs as the substance used. Appetite suppressants followed at 20.0%, with sleeping pills and tranquilizers/anti-anxiety drugs each at 13.3%.
ADHD medications are prescribed to patients diagnosed with attention problems and hyperactive-impulsive behavioral disorders. However, a misconception has spread, particularly in competitive school districts, that the drugs act as "study pills," leading to a rise in students taking them without having related symptoms. Medical professionals have repeatedly flagged the misuse.
ADHD drugs also ranked as the most heavily misused controlled substance by frequency. Among teenagers who had taken ADHD medication in the past six months, 23.1% said they used it 20 or more times a month on average. Another 7.6% said they took it 6 to 19 times a month.
"This goes beyond simple curiosity or temporary use, and shows that the tendency to use drugs for the purpose of enhancing concentration or improving academic efficiency is becoming a reality," the institute said.
Prescriptions for methylphenidate, the ADHD treatment widely but wrongly believed to boost academic performance, surged last year. The number of patients prescribed methylphenidate reached 392,000 last year, a 2.3-fold jump from 170,530 four years earlier. The figure also rose by 54,644, or 16.2%, from the previous year.
The Ministry of Education has developed and distributed teaching guides to support drug abuse prevention education for students. The middle and high school teacher guides developed and distributed last year cover preventing high-caffeine abuse, preventing appetite suppressant misuse, and preventing misuse of ADHD medication that is falsely known as a "study pill."
One in 10 teenagers is addicted to caffeine
Teenagers were also found to frequently consume coffee and high-caffeine beverages to boost their concentration. More than half of respondents, or 54.5%, said they drank coffee at least once a month. Many also reported drinking coffee 6 to 19 times a month (19.9%) or 20 times or more (5.0%).
For high-caffeine beverages, 61.2% said they drank them at least once a month, a higher rate than for coffee. Those who drank them 10 or more times a month reached 10.8%, indicating that roughly one in 10 teenagers falls within the range of caffeine addiction. The most cited reason for using caffeinated drinks was "to study for exams or complete assignments," at 57.8%.
"The more academic and college entrance exam stress intensifies, the more pronounced the tendency to rely on caffeine to recover from fatigue and maintain alertness becomes," the institute said. "This shows that it is not simply beverage consumption but that alertness and concentration function as a survival strategy amid overheated college entrance competition."
