I’m a bit concerned that a lot of the treatment options on that page are drugs. Is it really safe to drug people before their brain is supposed to do mathy things?
Probably not more unsafe than drugging them other times. As for performance… most anxiolytic substances impair mental function somewhat. It’s what they are notorious for (ie. Valium and ethanol). Still, the effects aren’t strong enough that crippling anxiety wouldn’t be worse. On the other hand a few things like phenibut and aniracetam could lead to somewhat increased performance even beside from anxiolytic effects.
Is it cheating?
No. There isn’t (usually) a rule against it so it isn’t cheating. (Sometimes there are laws against prescription substances, but that is different. That makes you a criminal not a cheater!)
I guess I understand using drugs for other mental disorders (the persistent ones that interfere with more areas of life) but it weirds me out that we create this bizarre social construct called “tests” that give people crippling anxiety … and then we solve the problem with drugs. Instead of developing alternative models for testing people. (Although there are probably correlations and people with test anxiety might get it for other things as well?)
Probably not more unsafe than drugging them other times. As for performance… most anxiolytic substances impair mental function somewhat. It’s what they are notorious for (ie. Valium and ethanol). Still, the effects aren’t strong enough that crippling anxiety wouldn’t be worse. On the other hand a few things like phenibut and aniracetam could lead to somewhat increased performance even beside from anxiolytic effects.
No. There isn’t (usually) a rule against it so it isn’t cheating. (Sometimes there are laws against prescription substances, but that is different. That makes you a criminal not a cheater!)
I guess I understand using drugs for other mental disorders (the persistent ones that interfere with more areas of life) but it weirds me out that we create this bizarre social construct called “tests” that give people crippling anxiety … and then we solve the problem with drugs. Instead of developing alternative models for testing people. (Although there are probably correlations and people with test anxiety might get it for other things as well?)