BOOK REVIEWS

Driven to Distraction – Hallowell & Ratey

Book review

The best seller that finally let ADHD grow up

This was THE BOOK on ADHD, until it was largely superseded by Delivered from Distraction. A milestone book that moved perceptions on ADHD a long way, and from a doctor with ADHD himself, who understands ADHD is far more complex than simply disorder. In the best-seller “Driven to Distraction: Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood Through Adulthood” Edward Hallowell & John Ratey have written the seminal book on ADHD, compassionate yet rigorous.

In Driven the medical professionals with ADHD themselves, Hallowell and Ratey reveal a balanced view of the problems and down-sides of ADHD whilst exploring and revealing the many strengths: “high energy, intuitiveness, creativity, and enthusiasm” … “completely overlooked by the ‘disorder’ model”. The authors suggest Mozart and Einstein as examples of people who are ADHD.

The authors, dispel the myth that ADHD is only found in children or that it is about lack of self-discipline and convincingly argue that ADHD is not an attention deficit but an attention inconsistency: “most of us with ADHD can in fact hyperfocus at times.”

Helpful tips for dealing with ADD in a child, a partner or a family member are given along with some case studies of the many adults who have dealt successfully with their diagnosis.

Buy on Amazon
ADHD Coach, Andrew Lewis

Andrew Lewis

Andrew Lewis is an ADHD Coach, writer and founder of SimplyWellbeing. He has over ten thousand hours and fifteen years of experience in coaching ADHD executives, business professionals and creatives. His expertise with ADHD is personal, with decades of his own experience, bringing up an ADHD child, running a large support group and in coaching clients often for years He has published his writing via this website and has ADHD online courses in development. His business expertise comes from a twenty years career in software, from programming, through marketing, sales and running a few start-ups.

Further reading

ADHD at work
As you can expect from Barkley, a scientifically precise exploration of ADHD yet somehow detached from the reality of ADHD?
ADHD at work
Medications can help but many adults find them ineffective or problematic, this book present some alternatives
ADHD at work
Sympathetic and helpful advice for adults with ADHD, from manager of ADHD clinic, with ADHD himself
ADHD at work
Somewhat clinical perspective by a clinical psychologist but does have some helpful suggestions
ADHD at work
Low self esteem comes as part of the package with ADHD, this book has excellent advice in building self esteem
ADHD at work
Helpful strategies for anyone with ADHD
SimplyWellbeing logo
Copyright © 2024 SimplyWellbeing
Website designed, written and created by Andrew Lewis, using Wordpress and Oxygen
49 Station Road, Polegate, East Sussex, BN26 6EA
Association of Coaching
linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram