Should I Medicate my Child? Sane Solutions for Troubled Kids with—and without—Psychiatric Drugs - Book Review

Science News, August 23, 2003

LAWRENCE H. DILLER

In the age of managed health care, Diller, a pediatric psychiatrist, says that too many pediatricians prescribe psychiatric drugs to children after only a cursory examination. Sometimes this swift action is at the behest of parents eager to address disturbing behavior. Diller neither advocates nor opposes the use of psychiatric drugs for children. He does, however, argue for evaluating the benefits and risks of a specific medication for a specific child and exploring other avenues of treatment, including behavior modification. Diller details his methods for assessing a child's problem and then addressing it with specific techniques. A list of various psychiatric drugs and their uses, side effects, and dosing information concludes the volume. Originally published in hardcover in 2002. Basic, 2003, 243 p., paperback, $17.95.