I just had to share this one, because I didn’t even know the problem existed until our local news station broadcasted a story on it recently.  Then, when I looked through the internet, I discovered that this has apparently been an issue for several years now.  High school and college students have found that Ritalin and Adderall, drugs usually prescribed for Attention Deficit Disorder, also help students focus for longer periods of time during midterm and finals season. 

PittsburghLIVE.com posted a story on this trend, which is certainly a good read if you have a few minutes.  These drugs can help students focus better and stay awake for longer periods of time.  The story on our local news highlighted a psychiatrist at UCLA discussing how he was treating an undergraduate student who had not slept for five days courtesy of Ritalin.  This student was hallucinating to the point where he thought people were chasing him, and he had to be admitted as an inpatient for psychiatric treatment.  This is extremely scary for parents, and it is certainly worth checking in with your child during high stress periods to help him/her manage stress.