kristaki's review against another edition
Wasn’t able to focus and didn’t find it helpful
adrizeuza's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
3.5
The content is as factual as it can get and the narration is good, although in some sections it becomes a bit tedious. However, for someone who has previously consumed other resources about ADHD it is not groundbreaking. Also, the author has many biases (namely, fatphobia) and views ADHD as a hinderance that we have to fight agianst so we can better fit in. I am currently more interested in liberation perspectives that problematize this assumption of neurodivergents having to adapt to society without demanding that society becomes less ableist. Also he inserts pretty outdated jokes that just made me cringe
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia
edgwareviabank's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
2.5
Whenever I see a list of symptoms that can help people work out whether they should seek an ADHD diagnosis, I find myself relating to quite a few. Many of the social media posts about executive function, impulse control, and rejection sensitivity from content creators with ADHD (especially Dani Donovan) hit very close to home, and it seems this sort of connection with things read or heard online can be a prompt for people to look into professional help. I've been long wondering whether any of this means I should take steps to get evaluated, too.
A friend sent me a digital copy of this book, saying they found it very useful to get their thoughts in order on the subject and pick up strategies to manage daily life. I saw it as the most convenient opportunity to start doing the same without the more time-consuming and bureaucracy-heavy steps I keep putting off (searching for the right doctor or therapist, for one). It's ironic, then, that the author's main piece of advice is exactly what I keep talking myself out of: getting diagnosed by a professional, and accepting medication as the most effective form of treatment. That advice left me with mixed feelings for a number of reasons. I'll try to outline them, with the caveat I'm not the most articulate of writers when it comes to discussing science and research.
First off: it is a lot of people's experience that seeking a diagnosis, never mind treatment, can be gruelling and time-consuming. The book seems to assume the best-case scenario: that the reader is able to easily find a professional who takes their symptoms seriously, and follows them through a thorough treatment plan over time. I doubt getting evaluated, diagnosed and treated is that straightforward. Speaking from personal experience, and knowing the experience of others close to me, the risk of not being believed by healthcare professionals is high enough with conditions that have visible physical symptoms; it seems to be even trickier to navigate when the issues that affect a patient's life in a significant way are rooted in the brain.
Multiplying that by a factor of ten, or perhaps a hundred, the author is American, and while the experience of ADHD is universal, some of the more practical advice is US-based. Much as I believe in getting professional help when possible, there's something tone-deaf about the way this particular book presents it as a blanket solution. I'm thinking about the prohibitive costs of healthcare in the US, and the privatised system that doesn't do the majority of people many favours. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a chunk of readers who feel excluded, and end up despairing even more as they read that none of the strategies for managing day-to-day life can really work unless medication is in place.
Moving beyond the emphasis on medical treatment, which does come with scientific backing despite my doubts on the delivery, I found some of the advice dated (the internet, smartphones and social media would take up a way bigger chunk if someone were to write this today), or at the very least, strangely worded. Some of the author's warnings about how ADHD can ruin lives and relationships sound overly stern: as a reader who picked up the book to feel more hopeful about symptoms I feel helpless about, I sometimes felt blamed rather than supported or understood. That happens especially in the sections about risks connected to crime and substance use, and even more so on the repeated occasions the author links ADHD with dangerous driving, which are puzzling in their frequency, until it becomes clear that's something that affected his personal life in a tragic way.
Ultimately, I must make an argument for taking this review with a pinch of salt. I don't feel well placed to say whether this book could be useful to someone who struggles with (severe) ADHD, because the way it's written suggests to me that it's unlikely I'm part of that group. I can still find quite a bit to identify with in a list of symptoms, but the author's point that adult ADHD is the evolution of symptoms already noticeable in childhood, and his description of impairments a lot more severe and harmful than what I experience, lead me to think that I wouldn't be able to access any form of treatment even if I tried. It was an interesting read, mainly because I'd never had the opportunity or the drive to read an entire book on the subject before. But there's a very real possibility I'm not its target audience.
A friend sent me a digital copy of this book, saying they found it very useful to get their thoughts in order on the subject and pick up strategies to manage daily life. I saw it as the most convenient opportunity to start doing the same without the more time-consuming and bureaucracy-heavy steps I keep putting off (searching for the right doctor or therapist, for one). It's ironic, then, that the author's main piece of advice is exactly what I keep talking myself out of: getting diagnosed by a professional, and accepting medication as the most effective form of treatment. That advice left me with mixed feelings for a number of reasons. I'll try to outline them, with the caveat I'm not the most articulate of writers when it comes to discussing science and research.
First off: it is a lot of people's experience that seeking a diagnosis, never mind treatment, can be gruelling and time-consuming. The book seems to assume the best-case scenario: that the reader is able to easily find a professional who takes their symptoms seriously, and follows them through a thorough treatment plan over time. I doubt getting evaluated, diagnosed and treated is that straightforward. Speaking from personal experience, and knowing the experience of others close to me, the risk of not being believed by healthcare professionals is high enough with conditions that have visible physical symptoms; it seems to be even trickier to navigate when the issues that affect a patient's life in a significant way are rooted in the brain.
Multiplying that by a factor of ten, or perhaps a hundred, the author is American, and while the experience of ADHD is universal, some of the more practical advice is US-based. Much as I believe in getting professional help when possible, there's something tone-deaf about the way this particular book presents it as a blanket solution. I'm thinking about the prohibitive costs of healthcare in the US, and the privatised system that doesn't do the majority of people many favours. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a chunk of readers who feel excluded, and end up despairing even more as they read that none of the strategies for managing day-to-day life can really work unless medication is in place.
Moving beyond the emphasis on medical treatment, which does come with scientific backing despite my doubts on the delivery, I found some of the advice dated (the internet, smartphones and social media would take up a way bigger chunk if someone were to write this today), or at the very least, strangely worded. Some of the author's warnings about how ADHD can ruin lives and relationships sound overly stern: as a reader who picked up the book to feel more hopeful about symptoms I feel helpless about, I sometimes felt blamed rather than supported or understood. That happens especially in the sections about risks connected to crime and substance use, and even more so on the repeated occasions the author links ADHD with dangerous driving, which are puzzling in their frequency, until it becomes clear that's something that affected his personal life in a tragic way.
Ultimately, I must make an argument for taking this review with a pinch of salt. I don't feel well placed to say whether this book could be useful to someone who struggles with (severe) ADHD, because the way it's written suggests to me that it's unlikely I'm part of that group. I can still find quite a bit to identify with in a list of symptoms, but the author's point that adult ADHD is the evolution of symptoms already noticeable in childhood, and his description of impairments a lot more severe and harmful than what I experience, lead me to think that I wouldn't be able to access any form of treatment even if I tried. It was an interesting read, mainly because I'd never had the opportunity or the drive to read an entire book on the subject before. But there's a very real possibility I'm not its target audience.
deathbotly's review against another edition
5.0
Quite useful! I found the chapters about medication and treatment especially helpful both for understanding the medication without the stigma and for giving it to family member with the fears it addresses in a sensible, fact-based way.
samiabaluch's review against another edition
Has to return it to the library, May purchase later date.
rynn82's review against another edition
1.0
Would definitely not recommend, whether for people with ADHD or for people seeking to understand people with ADHD.
The author is certainly an eminent researcher, but the book sometimes uses pretty stigmatizing language; the examples given are often of really intense presentations of ADHD (so a great way to reinforce your stereotypes if you're trying to educate yourself about ADHD, and not very helpful for making sure people who have less obvious ADHD get successfully diagnosed and treated); and the strategies in the book are nothing special, particularly if impulsivity isn't the main way your ADHD manifests.
The book also doesn't do a great job of covering the internal experience of ADHD, and consequently doesn't do a great job of looking at the ways in which ADHD may manifest differently in people who aren't white men (from what I've read, women of all races, and men of colour, are more likely to have a presentation of ADHD that's more about internal distress and chaos than external distress and chaos).
Barkley talks a lot about "the life you deserve" and I'm here to tell you that the life you deserve involves a life in which you don't read this book ;)
(For those looking for something better: I don't have another book recommendation, but try How To ADHD on YouTube for something a bit more cheerful.)
The author is certainly an eminent researcher, but the book sometimes uses pretty stigmatizing language; the examples given are often of really intense presentations of ADHD (so a great way to reinforce your stereotypes if you're trying to educate yourself about ADHD, and not very helpful for making sure people who have less obvious ADHD get successfully diagnosed and treated); and the strategies in the book are nothing special, particularly if impulsivity isn't the main way your ADHD manifests.
The book also doesn't do a great job of covering the internal experience of ADHD, and consequently doesn't do a great job of looking at the ways in which ADHD may manifest differently in people who aren't white men (from what I've read, women of all races, and men of colour, are more likely to have a presentation of ADHD that's more about internal distress and chaos than external distress and chaos).
Barkley talks a lot about "the life you deserve" and I'm here to tell you that the life you deserve involves a life in which you don't read this book ;)
(For those looking for something better: I don't have another book recommendation, but try How To ADHD on YouTube for something a bit more cheerful.)
erindarlyn's review
2.0
This book started off okay and then went downhill for me. I believe it could possibly be helpful for some people, but it was not particularly helpful for me. I think part of the problem I had with it is that it focused primarily on a very stereotypical hyperactive manifestation of ADHD from the male perspective and I cannot relate to that lived experience, so much of it was just not relevant for me. However, I had some other issues with it as well.
The author sometimes comes across as patronizing. At one point, I found myself thinking, “Does he really believe we are all so severely incapacitated that we cannot even ___?” It also seemed like he equates having ADHD with a lack of character and integrity and in his examples of women with ADHD, it started to feel like he was painting them all as floozies with zero self-control. He definitely broad-brushes people throughout the book. For example, on page 253, he says, “Because you have ADHD symptoms in place of innate conscientiousness, you’re…” I had a major problem with this because when tested by a psychologist with a Big 5 personality test, my trait conscientiousness tested notably above average. I have very high trait conscientiousness. To assume that I don’t just because I have an ADHD diagnosis is, honestly, kind of offensive.
Further, some of his recommendations seemed unrealistic. For example, one of his suggestions is to ask your supervisor at work if you can meet with them “several times a day” to keep you on track with getting your work done and reaching your goals. This kind of having to “report in” to someone multiple times each day, while perhaps a good strategy for some people, would drive me nuts and make me feel like I was being micromanaged. I can’t imagine a request to do so going over well with a supervisor who just wants me to get my work done, not babysit me. He also recommends having a parent manage your money for you. Keep in mind this book is directed to adults. Learning to manage your money well and responsibly is part of being a functioning adult and you are capable of doing it even if you have ADHD. It might take a little more effort and more frequent reminders to keep on top of it, but most people do not need to rely on their parents to do it for them. There are many resources Barkley could have recommended to help someone learn money management instead of recommending handing finances off to a parent. What about when one doesn’t have a living parent or a parent dies or gets sick and the responsibility falls back on you? Let’s not forget, too, that if you don’t want to learn do it yourself, you can hire a professional.
He definitely seems to paint people with ADHD quite negatively and stereotypically, i.e. not being able to pay bills on time, always speeding and driving recklessly, incapable of discipline or self-control, frequently overspending, addicted to substances, etc. I’m not saying these characteristics never describe anyone with ADHD, but neither I nor anyone I know with ADHD presents this way, so I think it is far from the stereotypical norm he seems to place on everyone.
Lastly, the author emphasizes evaluating sources of information and looking for citations when reading about ADHD, which is great, except that he doesn’t follow his own advice. He frequently makes claims that are not cited and in the back of the book where citations should be, he basically says the book is based on thousands of studies (none of which he bothers to cite), then recommends another of his books.
The section on medications is helpful if you have not yet become familiar with the different options currently available for treatment. The author definitely prefers this method of treatment and does not go into much detail on alternative methods for managing symptoms.
The author sometimes comes across as patronizing. At one point, I found myself thinking, “Does he really believe we are all so severely incapacitated that we cannot even ___?” It also seemed like he equates having ADHD with a lack of character and integrity and in his examples of women with ADHD, it started to feel like he was painting them all as floozies with zero self-control. He definitely broad-brushes people throughout the book. For example, on page 253, he says, “Because you have ADHD symptoms in place of innate conscientiousness, you’re…” I had a major problem with this because when tested by a psychologist with a Big 5 personality test, my trait conscientiousness tested notably above average. I have very high trait conscientiousness. To assume that I don’t just because I have an ADHD diagnosis is, honestly, kind of offensive.
Further, some of his recommendations seemed unrealistic. For example, one of his suggestions is to ask your supervisor at work if you can meet with them “several times a day” to keep you on track with getting your work done and reaching your goals. This kind of having to “report in” to someone multiple times each day, while perhaps a good strategy for some people, would drive me nuts and make me feel like I was being micromanaged. I can’t imagine a request to do so going over well with a supervisor who just wants me to get my work done, not babysit me. He also recommends having a parent manage your money for you. Keep in mind this book is directed to adults. Learning to manage your money well and responsibly is part of being a functioning adult and you are capable of doing it even if you have ADHD. It might take a little more effort and more frequent reminders to keep on top of it, but most people do not need to rely on their parents to do it for them. There are many resources Barkley could have recommended to help someone learn money management instead of recommending handing finances off to a parent. What about when one doesn’t have a living parent or a parent dies or gets sick and the responsibility falls back on you? Let’s not forget, too, that if you don’t want to learn do it yourself, you can hire a professional.
He definitely seems to paint people with ADHD quite negatively and stereotypically, i.e. not being able to pay bills on time, always speeding and driving recklessly, incapable of discipline or self-control, frequently overspending, addicted to substances, etc. I’m not saying these characteristics never describe anyone with ADHD, but neither I nor anyone I know with ADHD presents this way, so I think it is far from the stereotypical norm he seems to place on everyone.
Lastly, the author emphasizes evaluating sources of information and looking for citations when reading about ADHD, which is great, except that he doesn’t follow his own advice. He frequently makes claims that are not cited and in the back of the book where citations should be, he basically says the book is based on thousands of studies (none of which he bothers to cite), then recommends another of his books.
The section on medications is helpful if you have not yet become familiar with the different options currently available for treatment. The author definitely prefers this method of treatment and does not go into much detail on alternative methods for managing symptoms.
nakarem's review against another edition
3.0
Helpful and offers a great overview and is definitely worth a read if you want/need to learn about ADHD from scratch. It's pretty easy to understand, too.
I got a bit annoyed about how much it focused on the H of ADHD, though. Which also made me feel, like it was quite strongly centered around people who were assigned male at birth.
But I do think it's a pretty good book to start off with - I haven't read many other scientic(ish) books on ADHD, though, so there might be better choices out there.
I got a bit annoyed about how much it focused on the H of ADHD, though. Which also made me feel, like it was quite strongly centered around people who were assigned male at birth.
But I do think it's a pretty good book to start off with - I haven't read many other scientic(ish) books on ADHD, though, so there might be better choices out there.