The NetworkVolume 57, Issue 2 September 2012

Marian High School 7400 Military Avenue

Omaha, NE 68134402-571-2618

www.marianhighschool.net

Forty-five minutes of lecture and frantic note taking aren’t exactly a walk in the park. For most students,

there are two options: spend the class in full attention-mode and write down every important detail, or spend it drawing an intricate doodle.

For sophomore Hannah Goebel, however, sometimes there’s not a choice. Goebel has been diagnosed with At-tention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) since she was 9. For her, focus-ing in class takes an extra effort.

“When I don’t take my medicine, I feel off-task. I can’t pay attention, and I will spend whole class periods just doodling in my notebook,” Goebel said.

According to Mayo Clinic, ADHD is a chronic condition that can involve a variety of conditions including difficulty sustaining attention, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior. Some of the most common symptoms are an inability to focus, frequent fidgeting and trouble with paying attention to detail.

Between fourth and fifth grade, Goeb-el’s parents began to notice a drop in her grades in certain classes. “It especially stood out on standardized testing, most noticeably on reading and reading com-prehension,” Mrs. Becca Goebel said.

Goebel’s parents consulted teachers about the situation, and a friend who is an educational specialist assisted them with the referral process. The testing took place at Immanuel Hospital and involved a parent interview and a test for Goebel.

See ADHD p. 7

Speaking Out on ADHD: Sophomore explains life beyond the acronymmeganwoodruff

Students deal with Test Anxiety,ADHD,Insomnia and moreIndepth pp. 7 & 8

Freshman Liliana Boyle

A2 Marian Indepth Newspaper Coverage“LOSING FOCUS”Megan Woodruff, Poorna Ramasubramanian, Bizzy Boulay, Whitney Hayes, Alexis Vinton & Ali Paasch

InDepth [ 4 ]

losing “The most common symptoms I’ve seen in high school

students are difficulty with concentration and focus and a tendancy to be easily distracted,” Dr. Sheilah Snyder, Mar-ian alumn and professor of pediatrics at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, said.

Once diagnosed, most ADHD patients are put on some type of medication. One of the most common of these is Adderall, which is a stimulant. Adderall and medications similar to it work to increase a user’s focus.

“Hannah does seem to be more focused when on her medication. However, as with any medication there are side effects like sleeplessness, loss of appetite or agitation. We have had to change medicines over time because one stops working for one reason or another and that can be very unsettling and frustrating,” Mrs. Goebel said.

Although these medications are effective, companies have recently been trying to produce more non-stimulant medications for ADHD because stimulant medications can be abused. Likewise, a behavioral approach to treat-ing ADHD can also be used, but usually in combination with some sort of medication.

“One point that we would like to emphasis is that with children that have ADHD you must develop particular learning strategies that work for them. We have worked very hard to develop new techniques for Hannah, like us-ing an iPad and quizlet.com for note-taking,” Mrs. Goebel said.

ADHD and its treatment have been known to make a difference in study habits, but they can also become

a factor in other activities. For Goebel, a member of Select Women’s Choir and a cast member in the upcom-ing musical, Children of Eden, ADHD affects her vocal performances.

“When I’m on my medicine, I feel more anxiety on stage. I feel like my voice quivers and that there is more pressure to get my notes right. I just don’t want to mess up or get anything wrong,” Goebel said.

Likewise, ADHD can take a toll on personal relation-ships. Although Goebel is very open about her ADHD with her friends, she still believes it can sometimes affect her social life.

“When I take my medicine I’m not always myself, so socializing can become difficult. Sometimes I think to myself that if I didn’t have this [ADHD] my friends might treat me differently or that I would act differently,” Goebel said. On weekends, Goebel usually doesn’t take her medi-cine because she feels more like herself.

ADHD diagnosis has risen in recent years, but Snyder believes that this is more a reflection of the better meth-ods available for identifying ADHD than it is a true rise in the condition. “We are recognizing it [ADHD] more than we used to. There were probably lots and lots of kids in my parent’s generation that had ADHD but were never diagnosed with it,” Snyder said.

Snyder also noted that diagnosing teenagers with ADHD can be slightly difficult because there are other co-morbid factors that could be contributing to an individu-al’s behavior, such as depression and bipolar disorder. “If

a person is diagnosed with one of these conditions, it may get in the way of the diagnosis of another,” Snyder said.

According to the nurse’s records, four percent of Mar-ian students have been diagnosed with ADHD. Accord-ing to a Google survey taken by 257 Marian students, 15 percent think that they may have it.

Despite the fact that it is becoming more common, Goebel believes that the term ADHD should not be used casually. “I really wish people who don’t have ADHD would not claim to have it. I don’t like when others use it as an excuse for not being able to pay attention,” Goebel said.

Goebel said she wants others to understand the impli-cations of an ADHD diagnosis and how the medicine can affect behavior.

Likewise, Snyder hopes that people will be more open about ADHD and will seek treatment for it when it is necessary. “I think there’s a stigma attached to ADHD where people don’t want to admit they have it or their parents don’t want to admit that their children have it. It’s important that they talk about it because students can learn better and do better in school if they are diagnosed,” Snyder said. “If ADHD is ignored, the student is the one who suffers.”

It is a well-known fact of life that children dread bed-time. For a child, the worst part of the day is bedtime, and everyone is guilty of doing anything possible to

stay up for another half hour. For those in high school, however, that viewpoint has changed drastically. In the September Network Survey, 58 percent of the 257 respondents said they did not get enough sleep during the week.

Having extracurriculars on top of schoolwork can lengthen the day significantly for students. This causes students go to bed later and, consequently, get less sleep.

A 2007 American Academy of Pediatrics report sug-gests that, for teens, too much work and too little play can actually backfire down the road. “[Going to bed late] definitely doesn’t have a positive impact on my grades. The first two or three blocks of the day are very long and I often struggle to stay awake. My notes tend to be pretty difficult to read because I keep dozing off,” senior Jenna Denker said. Denker routinely goes to bed around 1 or 2 a.m.

Although schoolwork is one of the primary reasons that many Marian girls stay up late, it is not the only one. Another factor is insomnia, a sleeping disorder that can make it hard for a person to fall asleep, or stay asleep, ac-

cording to the Mayo Clinic. Sophomore Katie Siwa was diagnosed with insomnia

at age 11. “I usually fall asleep an hour or two after I lie down. On the days I have insomnia, I usually don’t sleep at all, or I end up waking up in the middle of the night and can’t fall back asleep, so I just stay up until it’s time to go to school,” Siwa said. Insomnia can lead to negative effects such as irritability, depression, anxiety, difficulty paying attention or focusing on tasks, increased errors or accidents, and tension headaches. “Usually, it does affect me, but I try not to let it get to me because I know that I have a lot to do, so I just shake it off,” Siwa said.

Insufficient sleep has become an epidemic that affects not only teens, but also children and adults. Multiple credible sources such as the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Sleep Foundation suggest that teenagers need nine-and-a-quarter hours of sleep every night. While sacrificing sleep for better grades might seem justifiable, it is also important to keep in mind that sleep is a biological need for human beings. “Sleep is so important for your body and health, because if you don’t have the rest you need, it is dif-ficult to function the next day,” Siwa said.

ADHD: Student affected in and out of classroom Continued from page 1

Students suffer from sleep deprivationpoornaramasubramanian & bizzyboulay

Z ZZ

Taken from a survey of 256 students.

Nodding Off

InDepth [ 5 ]

The Hidden Problem

Bu-dub, bu-dub, bu-dub. Marian girls hearts are racing as they rack their

brains for the answers to the test. They studied days in advance for this test and

they know all the material upon enter-ing the classroom. But as the teacher hands out the test, they begin to stress. By the time

a test lands on their desk, their anxiety has reached an all time

high.If this sounds like

something that has happened to you while

testing, you may suffer from test anxiety.

While some anxiety can enhance your

ability to focus, excessive anxiety will do more harm than good.

While testing, stress and worry can interfere with your ability to prepare for and perform on tests. Regarding testing anxiety, many people suffer from different symptoms. “It usually depends upon the per-son. Sometimes it’s worrying about the grades rather than the test,” Molly Atherton said.

Atherton is a counselor at Methodist College who specializes in test anxiety. Some people suffer from behavioral inabilities to learn, while others suffer from emotional distress.

“I know for me, it’s getting nervous and blanking everything out before a test, even if I study before,” sophomore Jordan Leeds said.

Test anxiety is not something that you are born with; it can occur at any time in your life. “A big majority of it started in eighth grade when we were preparing for high school,” Leeds said. Although test anxiety can be difficult to deal with, you are not alone. Many people have trouble with anxiety while testing.

To reduce anxiety before a test, make sure to review all of the material that will be on the test. While studying, find memory tricks that work for you and keep a positive attitude the entire time.

The more you worry, the more likely you will have higher anxiety when it comes time to take the test.

“Study and keep your head in the purpose of your test. Practice and be prepared for that,” Atherton said.

To reduce stress during a test, take a deep breath and minimize distractions before you begin. Make sure to estimate how much time you have to complete the test and allow yourself plenty of time to finish. Finally, use any extra time you have after the test to review the problems and to improve your answers. If the teacher doesn’t indicate time remaining or give a warning then asking them to do so can really help you out. “Remind the students to prepare for the test,” Atherton said. The best way to combat test anxiety is to study, study, study!

Students illegally use ADHD and ADD medication on standardized testsalexisvinton

whitneyhayesPutting testing to the test

Nail-Chewing Stress

graphic by alipaasch

page design by lauraatherton & laurentussey

Recently, there have been whispers about high school students illegally taking ADHD and ADD medicine during the ACT and the

SAT. That is, students without a medically diag-nosed attention deficit disorder are taking drugs designed for students who have trouble focusing. This is the subject that no one seems to know anything about. It is underground, illegal, and very well-hidden. Many students know things, but they keep all information carefully concealed from adults, doctors, teachers, and counselors.

Adderall and Ritalin are two of the most com-mon drugs prescribed for

ADHD and ADD. These two

drugs

are not like most medication. According to a November 2011 article by Susan Watts in the New Scientist, Adderall works to enhance the memory and cognition of everyone. Designed to aid people who are behind, if taken by someone who learns at a normal pace, Adderall and other ADHD/ADD medicine will increase a student’s focus to an unprecedented, borderline dangerous level.

According to a January 2012 article in The New York Times “Ritalin Gone Wrong” by L. Alan Sroufe, “Stimulants generally have the same ef-fects for all children and adults. They enhance the ability to concentrate, especially on tasks that are not inherently interesting or when one is fatigued or bored, but they don’t improve broader learn-ing abilities. . . . To date, no study has found any long-term benefit of attention-deficit medication on academic performance, peer relationships or behavior problems, the very things we would most

want to improve.”Upon talking to multiple school counsel-

ors and a nurse, it became clear that most people, even professionals, have no idea that this illegal drug usage is happening. Both the ACT contact number and the BoysTown National Hotline refused to

comment and insisted that they had no information on this topic.

The only ones who seem to know anything about this illegal ADHD/

ADD drug use are the students.

Junior Maria Mathey, who was willing to go on record to speak about this subject, heard about this problem a few years ago. “My older brother has it [ADHD] so I heard about this happening. A lot of people wanted it [the medicine],” Mathey said. “I’ve been asked by a handful of people if they could buy it from me because they knew I had access. But I would never take it from my brothers who need it.”

Buying ADD/ADHD medicine is a trend among high school and college students alike. Accord-ing to the June 2012 article by Alan Schwarz titled “Risky Rise of the Good-Grade Pill,” students can make hundreds of dollars or more a week selling Adderall or Ritalin to other students for $5 to $20 a pill.

Whether it is hidden or not, the illegal use of ADHD/ADD medicine is happening. According to the National Drug Intelligence Center, Ad-derall and Ritalin are both classified as Schedule II controlled substances which means that they have a high potential for abuse and psychological dependence. Schedule II controlled substances also include cocaine and methamphetamine. Any per-son found selling or using a Schedule II controlled substance is guilty of a Class III misdemeanor and could be sentenced to three months in prison and/or a fine of $500.

The dangers of using medicine without a doc-tor’s recommendation are severe and apply to Ritalin and Adderall as well as other ADD/ADHD drugs.