Non-medical use of methylphenidate by medical students: prevalence and motivations. Integrative review

• Main Authors: Leticia Batista da Costa, Jiliélisson Oliveira de Sousa, Samillys Valeska Bezerra de França Silva, Valéria Duarte de Almeida, Thales Allyrio Araújo de Medeiros Fernandes
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hospital de Clínicas de Itajubá 2021-06-01
• Series: Revista Ciências em Saúde
• Subjects: methylphenidate; medical students; non-prescription drug misuse
• Online Access: http://186.225.220.186:7474/ojs/index.php/rcsfmit_zero/article/view/1042

Objective: This study performed a literature review evaluating aspects of prevalence and motivations on the non-medical use of methylphenidate by medical students. Methods: We searched the Scopus, PubMed, SciELO, and Web of Science databases and the Google Scholar search tool using the keywords "Methylphenidate" and "Medical Student" and their correlates in Portuguese. A total of 472 articles were recovered, of which 24 were included for full reading and discussion after the application of the pre-established inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results: It was observed that the prevalence of non-prescribed use of methylphenidate ranged from 0.51% in Lithuania to 35% in Colombia. The main motivations reported for using the drug were academic outcomes improvement and increase in concentration during studies, although research shows no significant improvement in academic performance with the use of medication by healthy individuals. Conclusion: The non-prescribed use of methylphenidate presents a high and worrying frequency. Also, scientific studies questioning the use of psychostimulant medications for cognitive improvement by healthy students make the practice illegal and unfounded.