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.
Is An ADHD/Adderall Ice Age Ending?
- Details
- 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.
Lawrence Diller on the Al Jazeera Network
Lawrence Diller will appear on the nationally acclaimed news show, The Stream, on the Al Jazeera Network, viewed by nearly 32 American families. The show will air live on Thursday, November 15th, at 3:30 PM. The topic will be the reported use of stimulant drugs like Ritalin, Concerta and Adderall on non-ADHD children performing poorly in low income schools. The program can also be viewed online at http://stream.aljazeera.com/.
Diller Live Interview on Minnesota Public Radio
Lawrence Diller will be interviewed on the Daily Circuit News Program on Minnesota Public Radio on Wednesday, November 14th at 9 am local time (7 am Pacific Time). He is scheduled to be on for 45 minutes. The topic will be the emerging adult ADHD market for stimulant medication.
You can listen to the program locally on air in the St. Paul/Minneapolis area and other feeds in Minnesota. You can also listen to a live streamed version by going to http://minnesota.publicradio.org/features/ or afterwards by going to the archives of the Daily Circuit on the same MPR website.
Give Me My Adderall!
- Details
- Category: Opinions & Editorials Opinions & Editorials
- Published: 13 October 2012 13 October 2012
(First appeared in the Huffington Post on October 10, 2012)
"Give me my Adderall!" Matthew, a 15-year-old patient of mine, recently demanded of his parents. When they refused, Matthew slashed his left wrist with a box cutter. His parents called the police and he was taken to the county hospital emergency room for evaluation and possible admission to the psychiatric ward. His parents had withheld the medication for Matt's purported attention deficit disorder (ADD) because they hadn't liked the side effects of irritability and anger they had associated with their son's use of the medication.