Welcome to DocDiller.com
I'm a behavioral/developmental pediatrician who has been on the front-lines of clinical practice with ADHD, ODD, OCD, ASD, learning problems for nearly forty years. I've written some books and numerous articles for professionals and the public. My opinions have been expressed not only on television and radio, but also in front of Congress and the President's Council on Bioethics.
Whether you're looking for an sensible expert to help you make decisions about your child locally or are interested in the opinions of a doctor who prescribes medications to children but takes a broader look at the issues involved, you've come to the right place. Take a look at the opeds. Get some answers to questions on ADHD and psychiatric drugs for children.
Why Not Adderall for Finals Week
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- Category: Opinions & Editorials Opinions & Editorials
- Published: 08 June 2013 08 June 2013
(first appeared on June 6th, 2013 on Huffington Post website)
Having prescribed drugs like Ritalin and Adderall to children for 35 years, I've participated with concerned fascination in the ADHD/ADD epidemic that has swept our country. Still, I was surprised that I felt so troubled when 16-year-old Joe's* mother, Susan*, called me the other day and asked if I'd be willing to prescribe him Adderall just for his finals coming up in two weeks.
Rx for S.S.D. (Sick Society Disorder)
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- Category: Opinions & Editorials Opinions & Editorials
- Published: 18 April 2013 18 April 2013
(This article first appeared in the Huffington Post on 4/16/13)
Shock and incredulity greeted a front-page New York Times article last week that nearly 1 in 5 American high school boys had attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The Times analysis of the most recent Center for Disease Control (CDC) survey of 76,000 households had the overall rate of ADHD for children ages 5 to 17 at 11 percent. Approximately 6.4 million children have received the diagnosis. Two-thirds of those with a current diagnosis were receiving prescription stimulant drugs like Adderall, Ritalin or Concerta. Annual sales last year of these drugs reached $9 billion.
Dr. Diller Speaking at Iron Horse Middle School in Danville: March 20th
Dr. Diller will be giving a free presentation open to the public at the Iron Horse Middle School on Wednesday, March 20th at 7 PM. The topic will be "Striving for Homework Harmony". The talk will last about an hour followed by a thirty minutes of questions and answers from the audience. I look forwards to seeing you there!
Is An ADHD/Adderall Ice Age Ending?
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- Category: Opinions & Editorials Opinions & Editorials
- Published: 07 February 2013 07 February 2013
(first appeared in the Huffington Post 2/5/13)
"Crrraackkkkk!" was the sound I heard of the arctic ice breaking in my head as I finished reading the Sunday New York Times front-page article "Drowned in a Stream Of Prescriptions." I'm speaking metaphorically of course. But the 5,000-word Times piece on the life and death by suicide of a young man, Richard Fee, addicted to Adderall (a form of prescription amphetamine), could represent a true thawing of what some feel has been a 20-year ADHD/Adderall Ice Age.
I am behavioral/developmental pediatrician who's been prescribing prescription stimulants like Ritalin, Adderall or Concerta to children, teens and adults for 35 years. I've never been against using medications in children. But I prescribe the meds only after giving effective non-drug interventions, like home/school behavioral modification and special education, a chance to work first.