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Title: Running on Ritalin: A Physician Reflects on Children, Society, and Performance in a Pill by Lawrence H. Diller ISBN: 0-553-37906-2 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 June, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.63 (19 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A book that at least asks the tough questions
Comment: This books raises a lot of the questions I had but that I never see addressed elsewhere. It duscusses the fact that Ritalin does not cure ADD. It talks about the dramatic rise in ADD diagnoses and Ritalin prescriptions and discusses possible reasons. It also looks at some of the history and viewpoint of CHADD, the major support group for ADD. And it discusses how family environment and parenting techniques can play into a child's behavior. I think it also makes clear that Ritalin boosts everyone's performance, not just ADD kids or adults, and that the research stating that ADD results from faulty brain chemistry is less than proven.
At the same time, the book is also reassutring about the relative safety of Ritalin. And, every case study of his patients he cites seems to include at least a trial of Ritalin, so he is not at all flatly against the drug. He is in favor of looking at the bigger picture of the patient's life, not just writing out a prescription.
I think this book is definitely worth a read for anyone with a child who "has" ADD. And if you are someone who wonders why nobody seems to think it is any big deal to put your 6 year-old child on this highly-regulated stimulant drug, then you might feel the same relief I did in reading a book that at leasts asks questions, even if it doesn't have all the answers. Highly recommended.
Rating: 2
Summary: Adds to the incredible pile of erroneous info about ADD
Comment: I agree with the reviewer who says, "ADD and ADHD are real, spend time with someone who truly has it and you will know" I sincerely doubt Dr. Diller has spent much time, if any, with children or adults who truly have ADD. He makes many statements in his book that show a lack of knowledge in areas of ADD diagnosis and the use of Medication to treat this syndrome. For instance, he states that despite the fact that Methylphenidate (Ritalin) cannot "cure", or provide a long-term improvement in ADD, so many people still accept its use. This seems confusing to Dr. Diller. Well, do daily insulin doses "cure" Diabetes? Yet, without it, a diabetic would die. Do eyeglasses "cure" myopia? Yet, without them I couldn't (prescription of -13 dioptors) function very well in this world. Ritalin provides the necessary chemical neurotransmitters that some people's brain, for whatever reason, don't produce enough of, or are lost in a process of "re-uptake." My son has been on Ritalin for 4 years, is above the 50th percentile for height and weight for his age, has no tics, a HUGE appetite, gets lots of sleep, and is doing very well in school. Without Ritalin, his life and mine would be a sad disaster. I don't, in any way, advocate medicating every fidgety child you see. I also don't believe medication without ancillary treatments, (counseling, effective parenting and management, etc.) is safe or desirable. Yet, I strongly feel that medication is, for many, a necessary first step that allows other interventions to work effectively. There are many great books out there, find them and read them. But, beware, there are many more doctors and pediatricians out there that know next to nothing about ADD.
Rating: 1
Summary: Why you shouldn't ask your pediatrician for advice on ADHD
Comment: Thank goodness this book isn't selling very well. The last thing we need is another "resource" advocating unproven treatments for ADHD (neurobiofeedback) and trashing proven treatments such as medication. Dr. Diller is right -- medications are overprescribed. And he's right again -- Ritalin is no cure. But he's gone too far in making these points, and therefore has done a disservice to parents and educators looking for answers. Ritalin "opened the door" for our child, helped him move in the right direction, and helped us teach him things we couldn't teach him prior to medication. Now he's off meds completely...which was the goal of placing him on medication in the first place.
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