Erving Goffman Stigma

As the second decade of the 21st century progresses, the population approaches seven billion. With so many people, how are people supposed to stand out in job applications, or catch the administrators’ eye as he or she reads applications to highly prestigious colleges and universities? More and more people are asking this question, and more and more people are finding help in a small pill. Originally diagnosed for Alzheimer’s disease and ADHD, these drugs are increasingly used off label in universities and workplaces. In society, people call this form of off label use of neuroenhancing drugs chiefly two different things: smart drugs informally, and nootropics formally. The word nootropic originated from a Romanian Dr. Corneliu E.

Most Americans have heard of Ritalin and Adderall, either being used to calm hyperactive children or used illegally across every college campus for the purpose of studying. These are two completely different circumstances, which may be confusing to some. The reason that these two different groups of people get two vastly different results from the same drug is that these belong to the drug class of central nervous system (CNS) stimulants. CNS stimulants increase alertness mentally and physically, but do the opposite for those with hyperactivity disorders. This is because these drugs release dopamine levels in the brain. Dopamine is a chemical in the brain that is related with motivation (Healthline Editorial Team).

Lamkin, Matt. “A Ban On Brain-Boosting Drugs is Not the Answer”. Practical Argument: A Text and Anthology. 2nd ed. Eds. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2014. 640-642. Print.

In my analysis I am going to analyze the effectiveness of Margaret Talbot’s argument in “Brain Gain: The Underground World of Neuroenhancing Drugs”. This article is about the use of stimulants as cognitive enhancers for high-functioning people and not the intended use for the drugs. The problem is whether or not these stimulants should be considered ethical for everyday use as a cognitive enhancer. Talbot effectively supports her argument that “neuroenhancers” should be allowed for everyday use through her use of testimonials and factual information/statistics that she provides in the article in order to convince her targeted audience that the assistance of a stimulant as a cognitive enhancer is beneficial.

Before people abused Adderall, it was initially used for disorders such as ADHD and narcolepsy. ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is a, “neurobehavioral disorder that is defined by persistent and maladaptive symptoms of hyperactivity/impulsivity and inattention3”. A report that was released in November of 2013, showed that around, “11 percent of children aged 4-17 have been diagnosed with ADHD at some point in their lives. In adults, the rate is much lower (about 4 percent)4”. However, researchers advise that because the numbers may be higher than what was stated since adults that were not treated in their childhood are more likely to stay untreated. People that suffer from ADHD often have serious problems in school and communicating with others. It is also connected with various conditions such as mood, demeanor, and learning disorders. Narcolepsy is another common condition that is treated with Adderall. It is categorized as a sleeping disorder which causes, “excessive sleepiness, sleep paralysis, hallucinations, and in some cases episodes of cataplexy (partial or total loss of muscle control, often triggered by a strong emotion such as laughter)5”. The disorder occurs correspondingly in men and women and researchers think that it affects about one in two-thousand people. In the brains of those with narcolepsy, “the cluster of cells that produce hypocretin—located in a region called the hypothalamus—is damaged or completely destroyed5”. In

Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) and Attention Deficit Disorder(ADD) are two very public disorders, mainly among kids ranging in age from elementary school through college and on into adulthood. There are many different treatments developed now to help aid the effects that come with ADD/ADHD, the most common of which is medications. The two biggest brand name medications used to treat ADD and ADHD are Vyvanse and Adderall. Both of these medications are stimulant medications, which by definition from The Encyclopedia means, “Stimulant [medication is] any drug that excites any bodily function, but more specifically those that stimulate the brain and central nervous system. Stimulants induce alertness, elevated mood, wakefulness,

Achievement is valued highly in our society. Coaches want their players to give 110 percent, professors encourage their students to study harder, and parents want to see their children become the best person they can be. Not only do we want to "keep up with the Joneses," we want to surpass them. In the pursuit of excellence, some people will take drugs as an enhancement for their cognitive abilities. What makes this path to excellence ethically questionable? There are two large issues to using cognitive enhancements: fairness and the pressure to use them. While there may be nothing intrinsically wrong with using cognitive enhancers, the use of these drugs will likely have major side-effects on society which need to be taken into

Cognition-enhancing drugs are nothing new to society today. The only thing that is changing is the development of these drugs and their intended purpose. Drugs in the medical sense are supposed to enhance our lives in a positive way by effecting the user psychologically. The use of drugs is usually to heal an illness or to compensate for something that is lacked. Drugs are extremely susceptible to abuse by the way that they can improve the well being of the user in some type of positive way. Drugs can have many different negative side effects that can potentially outweigh the positive side effects that the drugs possess. Cognition enhancing drugs can be used for many different purposes. Many of which can be for legitimate medical purposes ranging from helping to aid people with developmental conditions such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, neurodegenerative

Dementia, defined by the Alzheimer’s Association, is the overall term for diseases and conditions characterized by a decline in memory or other thinking skills that affects a person’s ability to perform everyday activities. More than 250,000 Americans will develop dementia (including Alzheimer 's) when they are sixty-five or older and at eighty-five the risk of developing Alzheimer’s is fifty percent. Since this disease was found in 1907 by Alois Alzheimer, there have been thousands of dollars, research, and clinical trials put into finding a cure for this horrible disease. This literature review examines the effects of the type of Dementia known as

Cognitive enhancement is a rapidly evolving medical advancement which has the potential to drastically change society as we know it. Cognitive enhancement technologies, such as pharmaceutical and genetic cognitive enhancement methods, raise a wide variety of ethical concerns despite their potential to greatly benefit society. This paper will focus on cognitive enhancement drugs, also known as nootropics, such as Adderall, Ritalin, and Modafinil. In this paper, I will argue that we have a moral obligation to utilize pharmaceutical cognitive enhancement methods in order to benefit society as a whole. I will also consider a potential objection to the presented argument which questions the benefits of cognitive enhancement drugs if their successful

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive and fatal form of dementia, frequently seen in the elderly altering their cognition, thought process and behavior. AD is reported in about half of patients that have a dementia diagnosis; one study states that about 10.3% of the population over 65 years is affected by dementia with an increase to almost 50% over the age of 85. (Beattie, 2002) Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal part of the aging process in humans, but rather found in a group of diseases that affect the brain leading to a decline in mental and physical control. AD when diagnosed has a very slow and gradual course, initially affecting the individual’s short term memory. (Beattie, 2002)

Alzheimer 's disease is a progressive deterioration of cognitive function sufficient to cause functional disability (Hannaman, Mitchell, Cross, 2011). It is the most common cause of dementia after age 60 with initial signs reflective of hippocampal dysfunction, with poor immediate recall and short-term memory. "As the disease progresses, visuospatial dysfunction (including with directions and geographic disorientation), due to parietal lobe involvement, and executive dysfunction (including difficulty initiating and completing tasks, reduced spontaneity, and apathy). due to frontal dysfunction typically appear" (Hannaman, Mitchell, Cross, 2011, p. 11-6). Median survival rate is 3 years because of

Cognitive enhancing drugs are referred to as nootropics, smart drugs, and memory enhancers. Cognitive enhancers are drugs that help improve mental functions such as cognition, memory, intelligence, motivation, attention, and concentration.

Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, degenerative brain disorder that slowly diminishes memory and thinking skills, eventually destroying the brain’s cognitive ability to carry out even the simplest of tasks. Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. One in three seniors in America dies with Alzheimer’s disease or some other form of dementia.

Transition: So those are the most common types of study drugs, and now to explore why non ADHD people would take.