Comsuption of cognitive stimulants by medical students.
Oral substance abuse. Medical students. Teaching.
Introduction: Medicine courses require high levels of dedication and work and each student deals differently with the stress imposed on academic daily life. In recent years, several studies have been carried out, albeit in an incipient and inconclusive way, on the use of psychostimulants among medical students in Brazil. Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the use of cognitive stimulants by medical students and, among the specific objectives: To characterize medical students according to sociodemographic variables, identify the main brain stimulants used by students, relate the consumption of psychostimulants with the general health of academics. Method: The sample was non-probabilistic, for convenience, composed of students from the EMCM Medical Course. For data collection, a standardized, self-completed questionnaire with objective questions was used. Results: The sample consists of (n=51) students participating in the research on the use of cognitive stimulants by medical students. It was found that there was a low prevalence of the use of anxiolytics and amphetamines. Conclusion: Therefore, institutional policies of an educational nature, guidelines and a support network are necessary in order to raise awareness of the influence and effects of the uncontrolled and disordered use of these psychoactive substances.