( CNN ) -- Pediatrician and neurologist Dr. William D. Graf has noticed a disturbing trend . Over the past 20 years , he begun to hear stories of an increasing number of doctors who give perfectly healthy children prescriptions for the sole purpose of enhancing their focus or memory . The dramatic increase in the number of children taking stimulants and other `` study drugs , '' as they are popularly known , seems to back up his anecdotal evidence . Inspired by his growing concern over this trend , Graf collaborated with five other doctors to write a position paper that offers guidance to physicians and discusses the ethics of the practice . Published Wednesday in the American Academy of Neurology 's journal , the paper is the first of its kind to focus solely on prescribing these drugs to healthy children , Graf said . `` It was n't clear to any of us why this has n't been written before , '' Graf said . `` The trend has been around for a couple decades now . It was clear to us that there needs to be this kind of conversation with physicians . '' The paper argues that doctors have a `` moral obligation '' to `` prevent misuse of medication . '' It concludes that the practice of `` neuroenhancements '' is n't justifiable . It adds that the prescription of these drugs is inadvisable because of `` numerous social , developmental , and professional integrity issues . '' `` We are a highly competitive society , and we know some physicians are prescribing these at a parent 's request , '' Graf said . `` Other parents have told us they felt doctors pushed these drugs on their children . '' Though the drugs are effective in treating problems like attention-deficit ( hyperactivity ) disorder in healthy children , they can have serious side effects like cardiac risks , and taking them can be addictive . `` This is not what these drugs were designed for , and doctors can be a part of the problem , '' Graf said . `` Our professional integrity is at stake . '' Graf said the number of prescriptions written for these kinds of drugs has increased tenfold in the past two decades . According to a 2004 study ( PDF ) , in some U.S. school districts , `` the proportion of boys taking methylphenidate exceeds the highest estimates of the prevalence of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder . '' ADHD diagnosis rising . Another study ( PDF ) suggests that about 16 % of the population of some high school and college campuses uses prescription drugs as study aids . `` Many students think there 's a magic pill that could fix everything . Trouble is , that 's not true , '' said Greg Eells , associate director of Counseling and Psychological Services at Gannett Health Services at Cornell University . He believes that when the law changed to allow pharmaceutical companies to market directly to the public , an entire generation 's acceptance of taking prescriptions changed . `` It did make a huge difference in self-diagnosis . '' College students take ADHD drugs for better grades . Eells has seen an uptick in the number of students taking or asking for the drugs at Cornell , an Ivy League school known for its rigorous curriculum and ultracompetitive atmosphere . His clinic puts students through a rigorous battery of tests to make sure they actually have ADHD before they receive a prescription for the medication . Still , he knows that if students ca n't get the drugs at his clinic , they may try to buy them from their peers . That 's why he warns students that buying prescription drugs from other students is illegal and dangerous . `` They have a tendency to think if they can Google it , they know what they are getting into , '' he said . `` But there 's a reason only people who 've gone to medical school for a long time can prescribe these drugs . These drugs are serious business . '' Dr. Mark Wolraich , chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics clinical practice guideline subcommittee on ADHD , says this newly published position paper represents `` pretty much the position that all clinicians have . '' His only concern is that parents who hear about it may be too nervous to seek treatment for their children with ADHD , for whom the drugs would actually be beneficial . `` They can work really well with kids with ADHD , '' Wolraich said . He also notes that there may be more valid reasons for the growing number of young people taking ADHD medicines . More people are being legitimately diagnosed with the disorder , and doctors have changed their thinking about ADHD , he said . Until recently , many doctors believed that children eventually outgrew ADHD symptoms . `` We used to think it disappeared at puberty , but it 's not the case . So there will be more cases of adolescents and people at older ages diagnosed with ADHD , '' Wolraich said . As neuroenhancement grows more popular and new drugs become readily accessible , Graf said , he and his colleagues wondered whether their paper would it still be valid 20 years from now . `` Some have argued this practice is not going to stop . Neuroenhancement is going to continue regardless , '' he said . `` But we came to the conclusion that I think we should draw line at this practice . We do n't believe that will change . ''
Doctors obligated to `` prevent misuse of medication , '' position paper says . 16 % of the population of some high schools and colleges may use `` study drugs '' Drugs that work well for kids with ADHD may have negative side effects for healthy children .