Forget being upset about how Renee Zellweger looks today. She was pretty as Bridget Jones and she is pretty now. She is one of the unfortunate people having to respond to an audience with certain expectations. In the US it is not unusual that teenagers get breast implants as a birth day gift from their parents (or so we Europeans tell each other) and in most western countries dental braces are standard procedure for cosmetic reasons.
I'm not even going to go into the photo shopping debate...or the worrying fact that anorexia is now increasingly common among young boys.
I read an article that made me as a mother realize that one serious concern among the millions of threats I can imagine for my child is not the pressure to look good or street drugs after all, but rather semi-legitimate smart drugs.
When I was young it was cool to under-perform in school (or perhaps I was just in bad company..). I did OK, both in school and with my friends, but fell asleep on top of my school books -probably tired from last night's partying.
Today it seems young students have adopted the competitive environment one finds in the grown up's business world in terms of performance and now there is an increasing amount of teenagers who try to boost their academic capacity with drugs.
Grown-ups experimenting with various mixtures of cognitive enhancers (or nootropics, commonly known as smart drugs) are probably not causing themselves much harm and some may find just the right mix to boost their focus and memory.
There are however some worrying findings related to smart drug use in young people.
The article talks about Ritalin, and ADHD medication and Modafinil, which is used for narcolepsy. It also mentions ampakines, but I doubt teenagers have access to those.
The human brain is very complex and especially the so called higher functions develop slowly. The higher functions are simply explained as that what separates us from most animals; such as self-regulation, inner discipline, most social skills and foremost plasticity, which can be simply translated to being able to adapt and change gears when external circumstances so require.
Brain parts in charge of attention, working memory, logical thinking and decision making continue developing until young adulthood; meaning the early 30's.
There is research available in young, non-ADHD/ADD person's brains. These studies indicate that use of Ritalin may alter the day-night rhythm, cause anxiety that persists for years beyond the use of the drug and may even disturb some aspects of memory.
There are studies suggesting that Ritalin in a healthy, young brain may have opposite effects than what is seen in adults and ADHD patients.
So Ritalin misuse in young people is perhaps not helping at all, but may cause irreversible harm to the higher brain functions. The Author's of the article even suggest that misuse of Ritalin in young may impair driving skills, interpersonal skills (the so called "emotional intelligence") by its negative effects on behavioural flexibility.
A very interesting suggestion is that Modafinil seems to improve some cognitive skills in individuals with a lower IQ; but has almost no effect in individuals with a higher IQ, and in some cases Modafinil can even harm the performance of already highly performing individuals.
Translated for teenagers: It is not cool to use Modafinil; it only works for you if you are dumb. Or worse: If it works for you, then that's proof that you were not very clever in the first place.
The brain of young people needs to be protected from potent drugs that alter neurotransmitters, so it can develop the way nature intended.
Darwin quote: “It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.”
Important PS: Children who do suffer from severe ADHD/ADD should certainly stay on their medication, and also those with narcolepsy must use their drugs as prescribed. The point is that the beneficial effects one sees in people suffering from these diseases cannot be translated to healthy people.
Part 2 will describe what young people can safely do to boost their brains and Part 3 is about brain food for children.
Update (Feb 2015) : Here's a recent article from the Guardian about this topic
The article talks about Ritalin, and ADHD medication and Modafinil, which is used for narcolepsy. It also mentions ampakines, but I doubt teenagers have access to those.
The human brain is very complex and especially the so called higher functions develop slowly. The higher functions are simply explained as that what separates us from most animals; such as self-regulation, inner discipline, most social skills and foremost plasticity, which can be simply translated to being able to adapt and change gears when external circumstances so require.
Brain parts in charge of attention, working memory, logical thinking and decision making continue developing until young adulthood; meaning the early 30's.
There is research available in young, non-ADHD/ADD person's brains. These studies indicate that use of Ritalin may alter the day-night rhythm, cause anxiety that persists for years beyond the use of the drug and may even disturb some aspects of memory.
There are studies suggesting that Ritalin in a healthy, young brain may have opposite effects than what is seen in adults and ADHD patients.
So Ritalin misuse in young people is perhaps not helping at all, but may cause irreversible harm to the higher brain functions. The Author's of the article even suggest that misuse of Ritalin in young may impair driving skills, interpersonal skills (the so called "emotional intelligence") by its negative effects on behavioural flexibility.
A very interesting suggestion is that Modafinil seems to improve some cognitive skills in individuals with a lower IQ; but has almost no effect in individuals with a higher IQ, and in some cases Modafinil can even harm the performance of already highly performing individuals.
Translated for teenagers: It is not cool to use Modafinil; it only works for you if you are dumb. Or worse: If it works for you, then that's proof that you were not very clever in the first place.
The brain of young people needs to be protected from potent drugs that alter neurotransmitters, so it can develop the way nature intended.
Darwin quote: “It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.”
Important PS: Children who do suffer from severe ADHD/ADD should certainly stay on their medication, and also those with narcolepsy must use their drugs as prescribed. The point is that the beneficial effects one sees in people suffering from these diseases cannot be translated to healthy people.
Part 2 will describe what young people can safely do to boost their brains and Part 3 is about brain food for children.
Update (Feb 2015) : Here's a recent article from the Guardian about this topic
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