Running on Ritalin

August 31, 1998
Is prescribing the stimulant Ritalin the best way to treat the growing number of American children diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (ADD)? According to Diller, a pediatrician and family practitioner who has contributed many articles on the subject, while Ritalin may treat problems of "brain chemistry" among some children, it also obscures social or environmental factors in many others. Writing for a popular audience, Diller argues that since Ritalin has been shown to enhance performance even among normal children, it is misleading to hold that its success in treating ADD children means that ADD can be reduced to a biological phenomenon, to chemical imbalance. Diller convincingly suggests that part of the reason that many wish to portray ADD as a purely "neurobiological" disorder and Ritalin as the "cure" is political. As victims of biology, children and adults diagnosed with ADD become legally entitled to rights not given to others. But so what? If Ritalin helps those diagnosed with ADD perform better, what difference does it make whether it treats the causes of ADD or just its symptoms? Diller's answer is that America should be concerned because the 700% increase in Ritalin use points to a social imbalance that prescribing the drug covers up: "The surge in ADD diagnosis and Ritalin treatment is a warning to society that we are not meeting the needs of our children." Whether or not one entirely accepts Diller's argument that American psychiatrists have ignored the evidence against Ritalin's effectiveness as a cure for ADD, this is an important book for anyone interested in the narcotizing of America's youth.