benrogerswpg's review against another edition
4.0
Taking Charge
Firstly, this is an excellent book on ADHD that provides valuable insights and practical advice for adults who are living with the condition. It covers a wide range of topics, from understanding the nature of ADHD to managing symptoms and improving cognitive functioning.
One of the most impressive aspects of this book is the author's expertise and experience in the field. Barkley is a renowned clinical psychologist and expert on ADHD, and his research and writing are highly respected in the field.
The book also offers a unique perspective on ADHD, explaining how people with ADHD experience daily tasks and challenges compared to "neurotypical" individuals. This is valuable information for people with ADHD who may struggle with everyday tasks and may feel misunderstood by others.
While I want to mention that the book can be repetitive, this is not necessarily a drawback, as it reinforces key concepts and ideas throughout the book. The repetition can also help readers retain important information and strategies for managing ADHD.
Overall, Taking Charge of Adult ADHD is a highly informative and practical book that is essential reading for anyone living with ADHD. It offers valuable insights and strategies for managing the condition and improving overall functioning.
I highly recommend this book to anyone with ADHD or anyone who wants to learn more about the condition.
It is a valuable resource that deserves a rating of...
3.9/5
Firstly, this is an excellent book on ADHD that provides valuable insights and practical advice for adults who are living with the condition. It covers a wide range of topics, from understanding the nature of ADHD to managing symptoms and improving cognitive functioning.
One of the most impressive aspects of this book is the author's expertise and experience in the field. Barkley is a renowned clinical psychologist and expert on ADHD, and his research and writing are highly respected in the field.
The book also offers a unique perspective on ADHD, explaining how people with ADHD experience daily tasks and challenges compared to "neurotypical" individuals. This is valuable information for people with ADHD who may struggle with everyday tasks and may feel misunderstood by others.
While I want to mention that the book can be repetitive, this is not necessarily a drawback, as it reinforces key concepts and ideas throughout the book. The repetition can also help readers retain important information and strategies for managing ADHD.
Overall, Taking Charge of Adult ADHD is a highly informative and practical book that is essential reading for anyone living with ADHD. It offers valuable insights and strategies for managing the condition and improving overall functioning.
I highly recommend this book to anyone with ADHD or anyone who wants to learn more about the condition.
It is a valuable resource that deserves a rating of...
3.9/5
23missb's review against another edition
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
I thought this book was great. I listened to the audiobook version. I did skip over a bit of the info on specific medications as I’ve started on one in particular so I listened for that info and then moved on. I thought the stats on specific traits/challenges for those with adhd vs the general population was eye opening. I guess I didn’t expect such huge differences and the things I struggle with I just kind of assumed lots of people struggle with adhd or not. Informing myself makes me feel more powerful and more like I can get my life under control.
caroline_heske's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
3.5
Informative guide to ADHD aimed at people who are not diagnosed and those who are recently diagnosed. About half the book is about how ADHD is diagnosed, another good chunk is about medication, and only about a quarter is about other strategies for managing the condition. It is sensible and matter of fact, with a reasonable amount of depth to the info.
dorothy_gale's review against another edition
5.0
5★: TOTALLY NEEDED THIS BOOK 8+ YEARS AGO!!! This is the first ADHD book I've read that actually discusses safety risks and statistics! And Dr. Russell Barkley is the most has-their-sh*t-together person with ADHD I've ever heard. At first I thought, well if he has ADHD himself, it's probably not 'daily impairment' bad. THEN he shared his own stories and the tragic story of his brother who also had ADHD and sounded a lot like MY brother. He talked about how people with untreated ADHD can get fired from jobs repeatedly and end-up in jail or abusing alcohol and drugs or all of the above. How some people with ADHD can be seriously bad drivers, and can have on-again off-again friendships. I will likely have to buy a physical copy of this book (1st Edition = 2000, 2nd Edition = Sept 2021), as it has a couple of very long symptom lists and some web and video addresses he spells out in the audiobook. He also listed a couple of medications that I hadn't heard of before.
I started my formal ADHD learning journey with Dr. Hallowell's books and resources in 2019 because I needed to know there was light at the end of the tunnel, and his stuff seemed popular. Most of his material was kind of fluffy and repetitive. In hindsight, I would've been better off to have gone with Dr. Barkley from the start. Science-based research and data! He had a 43-year+ career in ADHD before retiring in 2021.
Highly recommend this book to anyone who has ADHD or who has someone with ADHD in their life!
I started my formal ADHD learning journey with Dr. Hallowell's books and resources in 2019 because I needed to know there was light at the end of the tunnel, and his stuff seemed popular. Most of his material was kind of fluffy and repetitive. In hindsight, I would've been better off to have gone with Dr. Barkley from the start. Science-based research and data! He had a 43-year+ career in ADHD before retiring in 2021.
Highly recommend this book to anyone who has ADHD or who has someone with ADHD in their life!
alyciakawitzki's review against another edition
3.0
It was informative, but it kind of just made me feel bad about myself (read second Ed published 2022)
kajalhalwa's review against another edition
3.0
This book is pretty helpful in getting sense of what adult ADHD looks like, but some aspects are very outdated. The book overall is also not inclusive.
Many caregivers encourage ADHDer kids to mask symptoms and punish them when they don’t. This contributes to under-diagnosis, but also encourages patients to internalize symptoms and develop systems to compensate. I would have liked more anecdotes featuring people who mask and internalize symptoms. I think many people also have more reasons to fear authorities than the people featured in the anecdotes, so have strong incentive to devote energy towards masking.
(In the section dedicated to improving finances):
“If you must carry a cell phone …Make it the cheapest model out there and the cheapest calling plan you can find. You don’t need a camera or Internet, e-mail, or Twitter access everywhere you go. No one is that important. Stop using your cell phone as an entertainment device and start using it as a practical tool to call the people you must and to hear only from those you must hear from, and nothing more. ”
Looks like this passage hasn’t been updated since before smartphones became ubiquitous. In most places people cannot fully participate in society or get their needs met without a decently functioning smartphone. I don’t think it’s great either. Still, smartphones come with a variety of good tools and when used right, these tools can help a lot, and this includes using a camera, Internet, email and social media. As for using phones for entertainment, well, many people wouldn’t complete boring but necessary tasks without entertainment. Many people also wouldn't otherwise have access to entertainment, connection or information, especially in a way they can fit into their busy (and at times unsafe) living situations.
Smartphones can absolutely enable irresponsibility, but I really think it’s a matter of committing to regular self awareness checks and using that info to tweak things here and there until you find the balance that serves you.
I appreciate the section that recommends having a sense of humour toward one’s ADHD. The disorder can impact most if not all areas of life. I think there are some situations where some people who would think that laughing about it means that ADHD isn’t a serious disability. But ADHDers themselves can laugh about their own disorder without losing accountability. When paired with self-kindness, it can lead to developing a healthier perspective and more resilient self esteem.
I also like that the author takes the disorder seriously and shows the many ways it negatively impacts most of not all aspects of life. While I do wish for diversity in the examples, I still got the message that it’s indeed something to take seriously, take responsibility for and something to ask for external help with.
Many caregivers encourage ADHDer kids to mask symptoms and punish them when they don’t. This contributes to under-diagnosis, but also encourages patients to internalize symptoms and develop systems to compensate. I would have liked more anecdotes featuring people who mask and internalize symptoms. I think many people also have more reasons to fear authorities than the people featured in the anecdotes, so have strong incentive to devote energy towards masking.
(In the section dedicated to improving finances):
“If you must carry a cell phone …Make it the cheapest model out there and the cheapest calling plan you can find. You don’t need a camera or Internet, e-mail, or Twitter access everywhere you go. No one is that important. Stop using your cell phone as an entertainment device and start using it as a practical tool to call the people you must and to hear only from those you must hear from, and nothing more. ”
Looks like this passage hasn’t been updated since before smartphones became ubiquitous. In most places people cannot fully participate in society or get their needs met without a decently functioning smartphone. I don’t think it’s great either. Still, smartphones come with a variety of good tools and when used right, these tools can help a lot, and this includes using a camera, Internet, email and social media. As for using phones for entertainment, well, many people wouldn’t complete boring but necessary tasks without entertainment. Many people also wouldn't otherwise have access to entertainment, connection or information, especially in a way they can fit into their busy (and at times unsafe) living situations.
Smartphones can absolutely enable irresponsibility, but I really think it’s a matter of committing to regular self awareness checks and using that info to tweak things here and there until you find the balance that serves you.
I appreciate the section that recommends having a sense of humour toward one’s ADHD. The disorder can impact most if not all areas of life. I think there are some situations where some people who would think that laughing about it means that ADHD isn’t a serious disability. But ADHDers themselves can laugh about their own disorder without losing accountability. When paired with self-kindness, it can lead to developing a healthier perspective and more resilient self esteem.
I also like that the author takes the disorder seriously and shows the many ways it negatively impacts most of not all aspects of life. While I do wish for diversity in the examples, I still got the message that it’s indeed something to take seriously, take responsibility for and something to ask for external help with.
_gnawknee's review against another edition
4.0
Good info. Some if it is outdated/opinion based(advices self inflicting punitive consequences to deter behaviors). Good references. Great starting off point.
somelitreference's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
I feel enlightened about the condition that I have and better suited to address corresponding issues, so the book did it's job and did it well! Highly recommend to others who deal with adult ADHD. I feel more hopeful about my future and have ideas on how to improve my life.