Running on Ritalin: A Physician Reflects on Children, Society, and Performance in a Pill (Paperback)

~ (Author) "It's midday at an elementary school in a comfortable American suburb..." (more)
Key Phrases: United States, New York, Joseph Biederman (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Diagnoses for Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) have escalated dramatically over the past few years, and right along with these diagnoses have been prescriptions for Ritalin. Considered a family-saving wonder drug by many parents, Ritalin gives children who have trouble in school or difficulty socializing (due to poor impulse control) the ability to slow down, focus, and behave. Success stories abound, but not everyone is convinced.

Pediatrician and family therapist Lawrence H. Diller thinks it's time to reexamine the ADD "epidemic" and our responses to it, particularly our eagerness to use medication as a first strike. In Running on Ritalin, he poses many thoughtful questions: Are behavioral problems in over 15 percent of elementary school-age boys really the result of neurological aberrations? Is performance pressure so great that parents seek out ADD diagnoses (and Ritalin) to give their children an edge? Does it make sense to give so many kids daily doses of a drug with as much potential for abuse as speed? His answers are equally thoughtful. Refusing to polarize the issues (he prescribes Ritalin to some of his own patients), Diller explores the roles played by advocacy groups, drug companies, schools, and the government in creating the ADD mania, and makes a plea for calmer thinking about behavioral problems. He can only hope that adults take the time to sit down and pay close attention. --Rob Lightner --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

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.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 404 pages
• Publisher: Bantam; 1 edition (May 4, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553379062
• ISBN-13: 978-0553379068
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #800,714 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars very informative, June 16, 2000

By	nobodyishere "nobodyishere" (az) - See all my reviews

This book tells it like it is. For parents not looking for a copout, but for support. As a parent of 2 ADD children (and stepparent of 2 ADHD children) this book makes a lot of sense. He brings up some good points about expecting too much out of our children and looking for ways to make them smarter, better, etc., without putting more time and effort into it. Parenting is a fulltime job, more difficult than any other job. I remember feeling the relief when Dr's told me it was "not their fault or my fault, it is all a medical problem." Well, through the years, I've learned there are things different I can do, and some things I cannot change. We have been able to keep 2 of our kids off Ritalin (it caused bad rebound affects on two, one was zombie-like and one turned into a holy-terror after the medicine wore off everyday). One of our kids may be on it his whole life though, he just cannot function. Unfortunately, the book doesn't come up with a cure, but it also tells you the truth about Ritalin, RITALIN IS NOT A CURE! It does have its place with some children, but in my opinion, it is a bandaid on a bleeding wound

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars He's right; and he explains why!, June 29, 1999

By A Customer

Dr. Diller is absolutely right. In my medical practice I have had occasion to see kids who are truly ADD/ADHD. But many more kids are simply not able to handle the factory-system of American education in which one or two dozen kids are expected to sit quietly and do nearly nothing most of the time. Who among us wasn't very often bored to tears in school? Well, things haven't changed. In fact, they've gotten worse, and I discovered this through the school of hard knocks with my own daughter. Although she is very strong-willed and, at times, not as focused and attentive as some other children, she is bright, imaginative, and has been reading at pre-college level since before age 9. When we found (and paid for ourselves) the right teacher for her, it made an enormous difference. I am persuaded that, while Ritalin is for some kids who are truly dysfunctional without it, 90%+ of what's being called ADD/ADHD these days is due to the attention deficits of parents and teachers.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful. Cogent. Compassionate., September 19, 1999

By A Customer

It's a book for all educated and dedicated parents, grandparents and teens to read. It poses important questions like; why has Ritalin diagnoses increased by 700% since 1994. or why does the US use 90% of the world's Ritalin? You begin to think that maybe it's not a chemical imbalance, but indeed a "living imbalance" as one of Dr. Diller's 10 years old patients says.