Rating: 
Summary: Thoughtful. Cogent. Compassionate.
Review: It's a book for all educated and dedicated parents, grandparents and teens to read. It poses important questions like; why has Ritalin diagnoses increased by 700% since 1994. or why does the US use 90% of the world's Ritalin? You begin to think that maybe it's not a chemical imbalance, but indeed a "living imbalance" as one of Dr. Diller's 10 years old patients says.
Rating: 
Summary: Why you shouldn't ask your pediatrician for advice on ADHD
Review: Thank goodness this book isn't selling very well. The last thing we need is another "resource" advocating unproven treatments for ADHD (neurobiofeedback) and trashing proven treatments such as medication. Dr. Diller is right -- medications are overprescribed. And he's right again -- Ritalin is no cure. But he's gone too far in making these points, and therefore has done a disservice to parents and educators looking for answers. Ritalin "opened the door" for our child, helped him move in the right direction, and helped us teach him things we couldn't teach him prior to medication. Now he's off meds completely...which was the goal of placing him on medication in the first place.
Rating:
Summary: Why you shouldn't ask your pediatrician for advice on ADHD
Review: Thank goodness this book isn't selling very well. The last thing we need is another "resource" advocating unproven treatments for ADHD (neurobiofeedback) and trashing proven treatments such as medication. Dr. Diller is right -- medications are overprescribed. And he's right again -- Ritalin is no cure. But he's gone too far in making these points, and therefore has done a disservice to parents and educators looking for answers. Ritalin "opened the door" for our child, helped him move in the right direction, and helped us teach him things we couldn't teach him prior to medication. Now he's off meds completely...which was the goal of placing him on medication in the first place.
Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your money on this book
Review: This book is a sell-out. If you are convinced that ADD and ADHD really exists, then by all means, read this book. But if you think that ADD and ADHD is a cover-up, quickie 15-minute diagnosis, perpetuated by schools, managed care and drug companies, then your money would be better spent on "The Hyperactivity Hoax". Where my child is concerned, I'd like a TRUE diagnosis of what body system is malfunctioning, not a lazy, society-accepted bunch of hogwash such as ADD.Do your kid a favor and find a REAL solution to his or her physical problem and stop buying into this ADD nonsense.
Rating:
Summary: I doubt it
Review: This book is a waste of money. If I were you I would buy driven to distraction or any other "real" book on ADD and if you have already ordered it, the book makes a lovely doorstop. If you really want to know something get the real data free at the website above. JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) has flatly contradicted the thesis of this book. If you don't know this is the journal your doctors read if they are any good. Ask your GP (general practicioner) the next time you visit him/her if he/she gets JAMA. Most doctors and medical researchers read this magazine and you should respect its opinion because most of the people who take care of you do too.
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT BOOK!
Review: This book is well-researched, insightful, and chock-full of trenchant arguments about the issues surrounding attention deficit disorder and drugs such as Ritalin. As a professional myself, I recommend it to all parents, teachers, and principals.
Rating: 
Summary: PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY--MORE FUN THAN SIDE EFFECTS...
Review: This book tells it like it is. For parents not looking for a copout, but for support. As a parent of 2 ADD children (and stepparent of 2 ADHD children) this book makes a lot of sense. He brings up some good points about expecting too much out of our children and looking for ways to make them smarter, better, etc., without putting more time and effort into it. Parenting is a fulltime job, more difficult than any other job. I remember feeling the relief when Dr's told me it was "not their fault or my fault, it is all a medical problem." Well, through the years, I've learned there are things different I can do, and some things I cannot change. We have been able to keep 2 of our kids off Ritalin (it caused bad rebound affects on two, one was zombie-like and one turned into a holy-terror after the medicine wore off everyday). One of our kids may be on it his whole life though, he just cannot function. Unfortunately, the book doesn't come up with a cure, but it also tells you the truth about Ritalin, RITALIN IS NOT A CURE! It does have its place with some children, but in my opinion, it is a bandaid on a bleeding wound
Rating:
Summary: very informative
Review: This book tells it like it is. For parents not looking for a copout, but for support. As a parent of 2 ADD children (and stepparent of 2 ADHD children) this book makes a lot of sense. He brings up some good points about expecting too much out of our children and looking for ways to make them smarter, better, etc., without putting more time and effort into it. Parenting is a fulltime job, more difficult than any other job. I remember feeling the relief when Dr's told me it was "not their fault or my fault, it is all a medical problem." Well, through the years, I've learned there are things different I can do, and some things I cannot change. We have been able to keep 2 of our kids off Ritalin (it caused bad rebound affects on two, one was zombie-like and one turned into a holy-terror after the medicine wore off everyday). One of our kids may be on it his whole life though, he just cannot function. Unfortunately, the book doesn't come up with a cure, but it also tells you the truth about Ritalin, RITALIN IS NOT A CURE! It does have its place with some children, but in my opinion, it is a bandaid on a bleeding wound
Rating:
Summary: A book that at least asks the tough questions
Review: This books raises a lot of the questions I had but that I never see addressed elsewhere. It duscusses the fact that Ritalin does not cure ADD. It talks about the dramatic rise in ADD diagnoses and Ritalin prescriptions and discusses possible reasons. It also looks at some of the history and viewpoint of CHADD, the major support group for ADD. And it discusses how family environment and parenting techniques can play into a child's behavior. I think it also makes clear that Ritalin boosts everyone's performance, not just ADD kids or adults, and that the research stating that ADD results from faulty brain chemistry is less than proven. At the same time, the book is also reassutring about the relative safety of Ritalin. And, every case study of his patients he cites seems to include at least a trial of Ritalin, so he is not at all flatly against the drug. He is in favor of looking at the bigger picture of the patient's life, not just writing out a prescription. I think this book is definitely worth a read for anyone with a child who "has" ADD. And if you are someone who wonders why nobody seems to think it is any big deal to put your 6 year-old child on this highly-regulated stimulant drug, then you might feel the same relief I did in reading a book that at leasts asks questions, even if it doesn't have all the answers. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Not as anti-medication as you'd think
Review: This is a subject that stirs up strong opinions, but Diller occupies a cautious middle ground--not opposed to medication when it is in the child's best interests, but not convinced it is in the best interests of all the children for whom it is prescribed. A thoughtful treatment of a troubling topic.
|
