> It’s so weird. I’m not seeing that people are having a hard time getting benzos at CVS

Probably because benzos are schedule IV, where as adderall is schedule II -- it's much more tightly controlled.

> “Kids were staying home without a routine. It was easier to call a pediatrician and say, ‘Joey can’t focus on the computer with remote learning. Can you help?’ ”

And the pediatrician would refer to a clinical psychologist to do a thorough evaluation, including looking at things like report cards, statements from parents about behavior, and quasi-empirical tests to gauge attention span.

> Adderall is prescribed for ADHD, which was once diagnosed only in the prepubescent. Now adults are discovering they have ADHD. Or occasional ADHD. Or work-at-home ADHD.

...No, people are getting diagnosed with adhd. as far as I'm aware, diagnosis as an adult still requires that there was a manifestation before age 12, but adults need fewer criteria to meet a diagnosis.

They're not discovering that they have adhd, they're being diagnosed with adhd by qualified professionals.

This is drivel.

> “If you were normally going to an office in a structured environment and now you’re working from home and have to focus, you’ve got a reason to be taking it,” says Lotano-Saba

Lotano-Saba, a "vice president of pharmacy solutions at the global management consulting firm AArete", which is not a position granted with the trust to determine who meets diagnostic critera.

> And if you’re also dealing with bored kids interrupting your Slack chats and Zoom meetings, you’ve got even more reason to seek a potion to help you focus.

Yes, medicate the children so that you can focus. Don't think about their well being at all. (/s)

> The only reason Ginsberg doesn’t have pills in her medicine cabinet anymore is that it got too expensive. Adderall, especially in this new shortage, is the Domaine du Romanée-Conti of prescription medication. Not only do you have to shell out for whatever your insurance doesn’t cover, but you also have to pay for a session with a psychiatrist every three months to get a new prescription

Yes, healthcare in America is too expensive, and the cost of adderall is prohibitive to some people that might clinically benefit from it. It's quite unfortunate. And no, you don't need to see a psychiatrist every three months. Some GPs will prescribe after having a diagnosis by a clinical phsycologist.

A psychiatrist specializing in adhd will better be able to help determine the best dosage, which specific medications might be beneficial based on observed side effects -- people react to focalin, ritalin, adderall, vyvanse, and others quite differently. The drugs also all vary in cost and how they'll be covered by insurance.

> So Adderall has become a privilege of the L.A. elite.

Yes, people abuse adderall, and it's made it more difficult for people that need it to live a healthy life.

> Also, maybe, like inflation or something.

This is surely a well researched article...

> When I told a psychiatrist that I was late with this article and was thinking about trying Adderall to help me finish, he said incredulously, “You’ve never done Adderall?!” When I asked if I should lose my Adderall virginity, the respected psychiatrist paused and said, “Off the record? Definitely.”

So the author saw an unprofessional psychiatrist?

--- end of reading ---

Look...It's just a drug. How many people are on antidepressants? You can't just stop taking those at the drop of a hat without a major depressive episode. Yes, taking too much adderall is bad. Taking too many antidepressants is also bad. Drinking too much alcohol is bad.

Stigmatizing the drug, and the people that are impacted by a neuro-developmental disorder isn't doing any good for anyone.

Aaand my executive functioning capacity has been used up, fuck this noise.