About the Author

Lawrence H. Diller, M.D., attended the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, and trained at the renowned Child Study Unit of the University of California, San Francisco, and the Mental Research Institute of Palo Alto.  In addition to professional publications, he has written for Family Therapy Networker and for the Hastings Center Report, where his 1996 article on Ritalin became national news.  He practices in Walnut Creek, California, and lives nearby with his wife and two young sons.

Reviews

"A vitally important topic--and a constructive, hopeful message."
--Daniel Goleman, Ph.D.

"Running on Ritalin describes in vivid detail the performance pressures on America's children, their parents, and teachers that result too often in a prescription for Ritalin--and nothing else."
--Ramon C. Cortines, Executive Director, Pew Network for Standards-Based Reform at Stanford University

"No parent who has ever considered medication use for their child should make the decision without first reading Running on Ritalin."
--Stanley Turecki, M.D., author of The Difficult Child and Normal Children Have Problems, Too

"Balanced and thoughtful, yet it sounds a powerful alarm."
--Kirkus Reviews

"A vitally important topic--and a constructive, hopeful message."
--Daniel Goleman, Ph.D.

"Running on Ritalin describes in vivid detail the performance pressures on America's children, their parents, and teachers that result too often in a prescription for Ritalin--and nothing else."
--Ramon C. Cortines, Executive Director, Pew Network for Standards-Based Reform at Stanford University

"No parent who has ever considered medication use for their child should make the decision without first reading Running on Ritalin."
--Stanley Turecki, M.D., author of The Difficult Child and Normal Children Have Problems, Too

"Balanced and thoughtful, yet it sounds a powerful alarm."
--Kirkus Reviews

Is prescribing the stimulant Ritalin the best way to treat the growing number of American children diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (ADD)? According to Diller, a pediatrician and family practitioner who has contributed many articles on the subject, while Ritalin may treat problems of "brain chemistry" among some children, it also obscures social or environmental factors in many others. Writing for a popular audience, Diller argues that since Ritalin has been shown to enhance performance even among normal children, it is misleading to hold that its success in treating ADD children means that ADD can be reduced to a biological phenomenon, to chemical imbalance. Diller convincingly suggests that part of the reason that many wish to portray ADD as a purely "neurobiological" disorder and Ritalin as the "cure" is political. As victims of biology, children and adults diagnosed with ADD become legally entitled to rights not given to others. But so what? If Ritalin helps those diagnosed with ADD perform better, what difference does it make whether it treats the causes of ADD or just its symptoms? Diller's answer is that America should be concerned because the 700% increase in Ritalin use points to a social imbalance that prescribing the drug covers up: "The surge in ADD diagnosis and Ritalin treatment is a warning to society that we are not meeting the needs of our children." Whether or not one entirely accepts Diller's argument that American psychiatrists have ignored the evidence against Ritalin's effectiveness as a cure for ADD, this is an important book for anyone interested in the narcotizing of America's youth. (Sept.)