I agree with the reviewer who says, "ADD and ADHD are real, spend time with someone who truly has it and you will know" I sincerely doubt Dr. Diller has spent much time, if any, with children or adults who truly have ADD. He makes many statements in his book that show a lack of knowledge in areas of ADD diagnosis and the use of Medication to treat this syndrome. For instance, he states that despite the fact that Methylphenidate (Ritalin) cannot "cure", or provide a long-term improvement in ADD, so many people still accept its use. This seems confusing to Dr. Diller. Well, do daily insulin doses "cure" Diabetes? Yet, without it, a diabetic would die. Do eyeglasses "cure" myopia? Yet, without them I couldn't (prescription of -13 dioptors) function very well in this world. Ritalin provides the necessary chemical neurotransmitters that some people's brain, for whatever reason, don't produce enough of, or are lost in a process of "re-uptake." My son has been on Ritalin for 4 years, is above the 50th percentile for height and weight for his age, has no tics, a HUGE appetite, gets lots of sleep, and is doing very well in school. Without Ritalin, his life and mine would be a sad disaster. I don't, in any way, advocate medicating every fidgety child you see. I also don't believe medication without ancillary treatments, (counseling, effective parenting and management, etc.) is safe or desirable. Yet, I strongly feel that medication is, for many, a necessary first step that allows other interventions to work effectively. There are many great books out there, find them and read them. But, beware, there are many more doctors and pediatricians out there that know next to nothing about ADD.
