Should I Medicate My Child: Sane Solutions for Troubled Kids With -- And Without -- Psychiatric Drugs - Hardcover

Lawrence Diller, M.D., is a behavioral pediatrician and family therapist in Walnut Creek, California. He is the author of Running on Ritalin and writes frequently for Salon.com and other publications. In 2000 Diller testified before a U.S. Congressional committee investigating Ritalin use.

Behavioral pediatrician and family therapist Diller (Running on Ritalin) presents a thoughtful and balanced discussion of the use of psychiatric medications for adolescents and children. His position is middle of the road. Medication alone doesn't solve a child's behavioral problems, he argues, and therapy and changes in discipline at school and at home sometimes can be enough in themselves. On the other hand, medication can offer some immediate relief and assist in otherwise overwhelming situations. Diller purports to cover all kinds of childhood concerns, from hyperactivity to depression and autism, but the bulk of the book deals with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with other problems dealt with rather cursorily in appended chapters. This won't give parents all they need to know on ADHD-for that, Russell Barkley's Taking Charge of ADHD is a good, basic title-or any other childhood emotional disorder, but it is a good addition to a well-stocked parenting collection in medium and large public libraries.
Mary Ann Hughes, Neill P.L., Pullman, WA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.