Taking Charge of Adult ADHD First Edition

As a psychologist who specializes in ADD in all age groups and as a person with ADD myself, I recommend this book to every new adult ADD patient that I see. Soon after it came out, a patient of mine said that he'd read plenty of books that described what ADD is, but this was the first one that really told him what he could and should do about it. I tell patients that medication is only a part of the answer, the rest is changing behaviors that can increase or decrease your chances of success and that this book will help them to do that with some very practical and down to earth strategies. Because of this I try to keep copies of it in my office to sell them at cost, so they'll have it when they leave the appointment. In the last two weeks I have recommended it to 5 or 6 undergrad and law school students.I also point out to them Dr. Barkley's exceptional standards for his own research and for the evaluation of the research of others. His care in presenting results is refreshingly old fashioned, almost quaint in this age of overblown self promotion, such as when he shared his adult ADHD criteria that were eventually published in his master work, "ADHD in Adults: what the science says"[2010], at a Cape Cod workshop in 2006. The results were preliminary at the time and he cautioned us that they had only been validated on a population of males from western Mass., or something like that. We all had to chuckle a bit and at the same time time appreciate how rare and refreshing it was to see such conscientiousness in a researcher; first and foremost Russ Barkley is a scientist and the reader can be confident that this book is based on real research, not just someone's opinions.Lastly, I like the layout of the book. It follows a format that's similar to the 'for dummies' series in that it is well organized with a detailed table of contents and index, as well as visual highlights such as boxes of bullet points, highlighted tips, etc. I tell my patients that it's very 'ADD-friendly' - that they don't have to read it front to back in a linear fashion, but that they can skip around and still get a ton of useful information from it.

I ordered this book on my kindle but had to order the book sent as some of the colums could not be viewed on the tablet.So I had to pay twice, but I am now being treated for anult ADHD. This book is a teaching tool and need to be kept handy to look up what you need to focus on. I got a Psycologist, and he has my book now because he does not have one and has never treated anyone specifically for this condition. He teaches psycology at a major Oregon University. My medical Dr. is working with him to get things working right for me. My medicationstill needs adjusting. A non stimulant medication called Stratara worked great but is not covered by by minsurance. So they want me to try the generic, which is a stimulant and is not working well for me yet. We will work it out. This is a very important book for anyone who has the condition, but don't order it on your tablet. Get the book so you won't end up having to pay twice for the book. M. Braziel

This book not only focuses on how to cope with ADULT ADHD, it also explains the treatment options available in detail, listing the pros and cons of each. What made it stand apart from other books I've seen is that it discusses how and where to find help and what the diagnostic process will likely entail. It's an easy read with helpful tips and tricks you can apply to keep from felling so overwhelmed. Additionally, it has extensive helpful resources in the appendix for further learning. I recommend it to anyone struggling with adult ADHD. I found it very eye opening how many symptoms still plague me to this day, despite years of coping.

This was suggested by my counselor. It’s been a bit of a shock. It helped to see that what I’ve been experiencing my whole life is real and not just in my imagination. There are lots of tips and examples of what has worked for others. The one thing that really annoys me is they spend a lot of time trying to convince you that you really do have ADHD. I already know. I wouldn’t be reading this book otherwise. I felt like it was a waste to tell me how important testing is or that medication can help. How about the chapter that tells you to remember to have fun and laugh at your diagnosis. I’m sure it can help some but I found it tedious. At least the first quarter of the book annoyed the heck out of me. “Here is a list of symptoms. Do they sound like you? I’ll tell you how to work on that later. Here’s another reason testing is important.” I wanted to skip all of it but he sprinkles good to know tidbits of data so you can’t. I thought it was funny that at just past the halfway point of the book he give you tips to stick to reading something you hate. I could have used that early on and it might not have taken me 6 weeks to reach that point.I bought the kindle version of this but I think it would have been more user friendly to have the physical book. There are a lot of places to answer questions and give your thoughts and it was a bit tedious to keep opening up a note to type them out. It would also be nice to be able to flip though later and just glance at your answers without having to go into the notes themselves and open them one at a time. I just bought a copy for a family member in paperback and I’m going to suggest that he fill out the answers in pencil or better yet on a post it so he can use more space or if his answers change as he gets older. He’d a teen now and I thing this would really have helped me out in high school.