By Greta Baxter
The academic demands of both the application process and our expected work output at Sciences Po are, to say the least, challenging. Whether it is a matter of quality or quantity of the work that makes this challenging, it is without doubt that the majority of us undergo phases of high stress due to the demands of our schoolwork. If a friend asks me how I’m doing, one of my most frequent responses is stressed or exhausted – a response I often hear from others as well, and one that is accepted as a norm. On the other side of the world, a strong majority of American universities are experiencing a similar acceptance towards stress.
Additionally, there is an increasing acceptance towards taking adderall, an ADHD medication banned in certain countries, to cope with stress from work. America has a strong reputation of prescribing medications, in particular to treat ADHD, more than any other country in the world. After watching a documentary “Take your Pills”, I began to see how adderall is being used frequently to deal with high work expectations in the United States and dealt on campuses without the feeling of a drug deal even taking place. The second largest age group of users, behind those 25-44 years old, were those 18-24, college students. Friends from universities such as Boston University, Northwestern, Emory, Georgetown, and Columbia (all of which are partner schools of Sciences Po), affirm that the student environment and attitudes towards adderall are very lax, accepting, and unquestioned; taking adderall in public places such as libraries seen as normal and it is not at all difficult to get or even get a prescription from doctors, which was suggested in the documentary as well. It seems that among college students in the United States easy access to prescription drugs, as well as a culture both in and out of universities that promotes and accepts the need for them to succeed, is the reason why adderall is one of the most common coping mechanisms for stress and work overload. The question is why this problem is so specific to the United States, and how are we coping with our workloads?
I find that one big factor impacting the way workload is handled at Sciences Po is shown in a striking but important difference in contrast to the United States: the fact that our library is closes at 8:00 p.m. every day, and stays open only until 9:45 p.m. only during the two days before exams. When a post on YikYak referenced the fact that UNI, a student association, proposed having a 24 hours library, it was met with dissatisfaction and mockery from students, as it seemed to clearly encourage students that they would and should be working throughout the night. While this seems to be a small factor, it makes a large difference in terms of type of expectations that are placed on us here in terms of how much we should be working and therefore reduces temptation on a stressful night to spend the entire night in the library as an attempt to deal with work anxieties.
I also realize that it goes beyond this and is also related to the fact that ADHD is treated far differently, and diagnosed less frequently than it is in the US. While 11% of children in the United States are diagnosed and more often than not treated with adderall, almost none in France are, and if they are it is considered to be a medical condition with psycho-social situational causes, suggesting that ADHD is not always a biological problem, but one that can develop depending on social context. When it is diagnosed, as suggested by a friend who lived most his life in France as well as in an article, drug based therapy is not the immediate solution but instead behavioral therapy. The less frequently that ADHD is diagnosed and immediately treated with medications, the less available, common and known that these medications are. The fact that ADHD medication is rarely considered in France reduces temptation to try them and reduces the frequency of feelings that we constantly are needed to work beyond our mental limits and if we cannot we need a medication that improves our efficiency.
Does this mean we are all coping with our stress in a healthy manner, and that Sciences Po is an institution that truly and completely ensures protection of the mental health of their students? Of course not. After speaking to Omie Dale, president of the Mental Health Committee, who reached out to others within the association, it seemed to be that the way stress and work overload is handled at Sciences Po is by establishing a sense of community and support, such as with the facebook note sharing page or even the triplette system, rather than competition. Furthermore, she agreed with the idea of the difference in cultural attitudes towards prescription medications, specifically for ADHD, is another reason why they are less considered at Sciences Po. I think it can also be said that the school size and the fact that we are around 350 in a year-group helps reinforce this idea of a community and solidarity, as most schools in the United States, especially those where adderall is common, tend to be far larger.
Nevertheless, this does not mean that the consequences of work overload on mental health do not exist and that Sciences Po could not be doing more: Omie was quick to acknowledge the increase in mental health services on campus as a positive but to all point out that they are seen as a last resort whereas these problems are common and require more attention and treatment. In addition, she also suggested that the lack of common, work-free areas on campus also contribute to the stressful atmosphere as people can always been seen working on campus even outside the library.
While mental health and the negative impacts of stress from work overload remain a universal problem, the mechanisms used to cope with them vary between the US and France due to cultural differences in the promotion and acceptance of ADHD medication and the differences in environments at university. For this reason, it is important to continue to create and promote the idea that we do not need to push ourselves beyond our limits and instead reach out for help when we are feeling overwhelmed. It is essential that maximizing our work output is not seen as something that requires a sacrifice to our personal wellbeing or that maximizing work output is the source of our wellbeing whether we are in France or in America for our studies.
Greta Baxter grew up in Moscow, New Jersey, and Paris. Her hobbies include everything involving dessert food, hiking, reading, watching TV shows impressively fast, all while trying to get at least 3 hours of sleep. ‘No Regreta’s’ runs once every month!
Featured photo: Martin Argyroglo//Sciences Po
