Taking Charge of Adult ADHD: Proven Strategies to Succeed at Work, at Home, and in Relationships Paperback – 16 Aug. 2010

Dr Barkley is without doubt one of the worlds great authorities on ADHD and most of this book is backed up by scientific research rather than just anecdotes. He gives excellent guidance and basic strategies for coping with the condition and I found the book easy to read and often inspirational.However, 2 things :First, it is very much centred around hyperactivity/impulsivity and if you have only inattention there are large parts that are pretty much irrelevant. Dr Barkley's non-identical twin brother had seriously hyperactive aADHD and I think this informs a lot of his involvement with this subject. Early on in the book he states that the book does NOT cater for inattentive types but this should be stated on the cover so people don't waste time and money. He also mentions that recent research seems to indicate Inattentive Variant Adult ADHD might be a totally separate condtion called SCT but then fails to offer any pointers as to where you could go for further help.Second, he does disclose the fact that he is sponsored by several drug companies but I can't help feeling that this must compromise his integrity a little. He is VERY enthusiastic about drug therapies but even though I personally know many people whose lives are transformed by them, his writing is undermined because of this financial vector.

The bad reviews of this book seem to be from people who aren’t prepared to accept how catastrophically negative and damaging ADHD behaviours can be. If like me, you are fully prepared to accept responsibility for these behaviours and fully face them (hard as that sometimes is) then this book will reward you with the tools to make changes. This book is not negative, it’s just evidence based and factual and does exactly what it claims in the title. If you are ready to own your condition and learn how to manage it then this book is perfect.

Good book for people who are newly diagnosed such as my self providing reassurance by simple advice and easy to follow thinking and self help steps. The books is some what distant for people such as my self in the UK for the fact that it follows the American style of treatment and help however the lifestyle changes and day to day tips can be used anywhere. Truly a good book for people seeking to come to terms with ADHD or for people who live or work with people with ADHD a great all round book.

After being disappointed with the first chapter, which wasn't relevant to me (it's all about getting a diagnosis I've already been given), I'm really glad I stuck with it. The rest so far has been really useful, both in making sense of the problems I'm having, and working out coping strategies for the future.

Life changing for me.Made me realise how many of my negative traits stem from my ADHD, resulting in much more positive internal dialogue than I have had in years.I believe understanding myself better has helped me keep an incredibly fast paced and challenging job for two months now. All thanks to this book.

The more I read of this book, the more issues arises with it. While it has some good advice, in my view it’s not written or edited with the audience in mind - people with ADD/ADHD.This book does contain good advice and guidance on how ADD effects your life as an adult. But it’s poorly written and edited.The writing and editing standards aren’t horrible, but little thought has been given to the prevalence of reading disabilities and low reading comprehension those of us with ADD/ADHD can have. I don’t, but I still find this book a struggle to read. And it’s unnecessary, if a better writer and editor had worked on it.The issues I have include:- The tone being lecturing and aggressive at times;- key concepts required to understand chapters are explained in later chapters, requiring flipping back and forth;- alienating scientific jargon is dropped into main text;- page layouts are confusing and distracting;- there’s a lot of grammar and spelling errors;- some just plain sloppy writing make concepts and guidance harder than to understand than needed (double negative phrases in a sentence are bad enough, but they use triple negatives!); and- even counting seems difficult (the writer says there are five factors to an ADD problem, then lists and describes four).I also find some of the main author’s views - such as describing talking therapies, including forms of psychotherapy, and ADD/ADHD support groups as “sitting around complaining” - as being questionable, at best, unprofessional, disingenuous, and prejudicial when I’m try to view them objectively.

An amazing and well written book. The author has distilled many years of experience and research into it. It explains in a language that is understandable to anyone. It is a must read for anyone suspecting of having ADHD as well as psychiatrist/therapist wanting to know more about ADHD.

I’m shocked to read so many of my traits/quirks/“failings” might stem from the way my brain does / doesn’t work.. this is all new to me and will take sometime to figure out / figure out how this “sits” with me... blimey...