Prevalence and Correlates of Prescription Stimulant Use, Misuse, Use Disorders, and Motivations for Misuse Among Adults in the United States

What is it about?

Using data from a nationally representative household population in 2015-2016, we found that 6.6% of adults used prescription stimulants overall (i.e. with or without misuse), 4.5% used without misuse, 1.9% misused without use disorders, and 0.2% had use disorders. The most commonly reported motivation for misuse was for cognitive enhancement, and the most likely source of misused stimulants was obtaining them free from relatives or friends, though more frequent prescription stimulant misuse and use disorder were associated with increased likelihood of obtaining medications from physicians or drug dealers or strangers and less likelihood of obtaining them from friends or relatives. Patients who are using their medication for cognitive enhancement or diverting their medication to others present high risks.

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