By U.S. News

The second half of the school year can be a stressful time for high schoolers with the SAT, ACT, final exams and other important academic events on the agenda.

Some teens may resort to using so-called “study drugs” – often prescription amphetamines like Adderall – to get it all done.

These drugs, sometimes called “smart drugs,” are often used to treat attention deficit disorder or narcolepsy, but students without these conditions sometimes take them when they study to enhance focus and concentration, says Selina Oliver, a school psychologist with Anne Arundel County Public Schools in Maryland who works with high schoolers.

“That’s where that term ‘study drugs’​ comes from, or ‘smart drug​’​​ ​comes from,​ because it gives that perception someone’s smarter than they may actually be,” she says. ​ ​ ​

In the previous year​, 7.7 percent of high school seniors used amphetamines, among the most-used prescription, over-the-counter or illicit drugs, according to​ a 2015 survey sponsored by the National Institutes of Health​.​ ​Oliver doesn’t think teen use of study drugs is an issue in her district.

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