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.
Dr. Diller highlighted in Front Page New York Times Article
I had the recent opportunity to work closely with Alan Schwarz of the New York Times on an article he was writing to highlight the lack of reliable information for patients and doctors on the use of multiple psychiatric drugs for children. Alan approached me and asked if he could use one of my families to highlight the dilemmas facing parents. Matthias's mother, Joelle, kindly consented, and their story is told in the article which ran on the front page on November 15th, and can be accessed by clicking: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/15/us/one-drug-or-2-parents-see-risk-but-also-hope.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar%2C{%221%22%3A%22RI%3A7%22}&_r=0. There are some nice photos of the family and even one of me in the article.
DR. DILLER SPEAKS IN MODESTO ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17TH
Lawrence Diller, M.D. will be speaking for the Modesto Area Partners in Science (MAPS) at the Modesto Junior College (MJC), West Campus Sierra Hall 132, on Friday, October 17th at 7:30 PM. The title of his talk is "ADHD: Models, Myths and Medication." Admission and parking are free.
Witness to Corruption: The Merchants of Speed of the Modern-Day ADHD Medicine Show
- Details
- Category: Opinions & Editorials Opinions & Editorials
- Published: 24 August 2014 24 August 2014
(First Appeared in the Huffington Post in Four Parts, August 2014)
During my entire 30-plus-year career as a behavioral/developmental pediatrician in private practice, I have attended only one drug company-sponsored dinner where I was paid for just showing up. In 2003, I received a letter from Eli Lilly and Company, inviting me to hear a former Columbia Medical School classmate -- what an amazing coincidence -- talk about Strattera (atomoxetine), Lilly's new drug for the treatment of ADHD/ADD (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and non-hyperactive inattention). The dinner would be at the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco, one of the city's fanciest venues. As an additional inducement, I was offered a $500 "consulting fee" and a continuing medical education (CME) credit in return for listening to this one-hour presentation
Coming Soon to a Neighborhood Near You: Adderall Abuse
First Appeared in the Huffington Post
April 8th, 2014
The rise of both the ADHD/ADD diagnosis and the use of stimulant drugs like Adderall, Concerta and Ritalin is once again front page news. A Centers for Disease Control (CDC) telephone survey found that nearly one in five high school boys' parents have been told their child has ADHD/ADD. Express-Scripts, the largest prescription insurance processor, in a recent report confirmed the highest prescription rates in boys but also documented explosive growth in prescriptions for adults with ADHD/ADD.
Telephone surveys and prescription rates are interesting but indirect measures of the use of stimulant drugs in the United States. However, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) maintains records of the annual quotas approved for production by drug companies in the United States for controlled substances like the stimulants. While the manufacturing quotas do not specifically indicate how much drug is actually taken by Americans, it is unlikely that drug companies would request a higher quota than they believed they could sell -- and if someone buys the drug, they are likely to take it.