About

A portrait of Dr Lawrence Diller in his office.

Lawrence H. Diller, M.D., is an internationally recognized expert in child behavior and development who has practiced behavioral/developmental pediatrics and family therapy in Walnut Creek since 1980. Families with children from toddler age through young adulthood who are experiencing problems at home or school are the most common referrals to Dr. Diller. Diagnoses including ADHD, oppositional behavior, autism, anxiety, OCD, depression, dyslexia, and substance abuse are among the problems addressed holistically.  He is also experienced in treating marital problems and adult attention-deficit disorder.  

Dr. Diller earned a B.A. from Clark University in Worcester, MA in 1972 and his M.D. from  the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University in New York City  in 1976.  He completed a pediatric residency at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and is board-certified in pediatrics.  Following his pediatric training, he spent three years in a post-doctoral fellowship at the Division of Behavioral and Developmental Pediatrics at UCSF, specializing in the behavioral, developmental and learning disabilities of children and adolescents, and family psychotherapy.  He received additional training in psychotherapy at the Mental Research Institute of Palo Alto.  

His book, Running on Ritalin: A Physician Reflects on Children, Society and Performance in a Pill (1998), has received international notice. Dr. Diller has made numerous appearances on television and radio and in the print media. His articles on children have appeared in both professional and lay journals. In 2000, he won the Public Affairs Award from the Society for Professional Journalism. In 2000, he testified as an expert on Ritalin before a U.S. Congressional subcommittee and for the President’s Council on Bioethics in 2002. Additional books include Should I Medicate My Child? (2002) and The Last Normal Child: Essays on the Intersection of Kids, Culture and Psychiatric Drugs (2006) and Remembering Ritalin: A Physician and Generation Rx Reflect on Life and Psychiatric Drugs (2011). Dr. Diller’s series in the Huffington Post, The United States of Adderall, was the basis of a Netflix feature-length documentary , Take Your Pills (2018), in which Dr. Diller is featured.

Dr. Diller lives in Oakland with his wife, Denise, who is retired from teaching film at the City College of San Francisco. His two grown sons are successful performing musicians. Martin, based in San Francisco, is now pursuing a graduate degree in counseling at the Wright Institute in Berkeley.  Louie is producing and mixing albums in Los Angeles. 

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CONTACT DR DILLER
2099 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Suite 208
Walnut Creek, CA 94596