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A review by noahthetired
Driven to Distraction: Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood Through Adulthood by John J. Ratey, Edward M. Hallowell
3.0
*3.5 stars*
TLDR:
Driven to distraction has a lot information, useful tips, and is somewhat relatable. The science about adhd is quite dated though (as is the cis-heteronormativity). While it had many useful insights, it focussed primarily on hyperactive men and the problems they face, and only touched briefly upon adhd in women, or less impulisve and less stereotypical manifestations of the disorder. Still worth reading since it is very informative and well written, but if you don't recognize yourself in it, that's probably why.
REVIEW:
When I started looking for books on adhd after being newly diagnosed, this book was the first on a lot of lists; described by many as 'the adhd-bible'. So naturally I decided to pick it up. I found a lot of interesting information in this book, and a lot of useful tips, especially in chapter 8. I do have some notes, however, which I will address later on.
What Driven to Distraction does well is explain what adhd is on a fundamental level, how it is more than simply distractibility, impulsivity, hyperactivity, and what problems people commonly face as a result of untreated adhd. (When it comes to how adhd presents and how people cope, however, the author primarily focusses on hyperactive men.. which I'll discuss more later.)
For example, while I knew people with adhd experience hyperfocus, I never realized you can also hyperfocus on negative thoughts/emotions, often leading to anxiety like symptoms and excessive worrying. (Or hyperfocus on harmful habits, increasing the risk of addiction)
The author also explains how living with undiagnosed adhd can cause low self-esteem, depression, and anxiety, because many people with adhd are treated like failures by society.
I would, however, have like to read more about emotional dysregulation, which is very common in people with adhd, and often happens at a biological level rather than a psychological one.
Most of the chapters are structured around case studies of particular clients the author has seen. While those were well written and intriguing, they were very one-sided: they usually focussed on the hyperactive, disruptive, impulsive high-stimulation seeking boy or man. This is of course a common manifestation of adhd and deserves it's place in the book; it is, however, by far not the only one. The author does stress this continually, stating how adhd often looks different in women, doesn't require hyperactivity, can be masked by anxiety or compulsive behaviours; however, he barely illustrates this, only using a case study or two, and hardly elaborating on these less stereotypical manifestations of the disorder. This is especially true in the chapters on relationships, family and children. (The chapter on types of adhd goes into some detail about this, but only briefly, and that's about it.)
I get of course that this book was published in the 90's, and that it was incredibly revolutionary at the time; it showed people that disruptive, impulsive, inattentive behaviour is not necessarily due to a character flaw or lack of discipline, but due to a neurological condition that can be treated quite effectively.
And while I did find a great deal of recognition and some new information in this book (although the chapter on science is quite dated; for information about the biology of adhd this book is not great) , I didn't find it to be quite the "adhd bible" people described it as. I get that for some with the more (stereo)typical form of adhd this book can be a life-changer.
I do think it's a good book to have read if you're interested in learning about adhd, it has definitely broadened my understanding of it; it should just not be the only book. (I wonder if delivered from distraction, a more recent book by the same authors, might be better.)
One last thing that bothered me was the author's continual uses of 'he or she', and the heteronormativity in the chapters on relationships and family. (I don't think it has ever occurred to the author that queer relationships exist).
Then again, this book was written in the 90's, but I'm sure there are more inclusive and more current books out there.
If I find alternatives I will list them here.
TLDR:
Driven to distraction has a lot information, useful tips, and is somewhat relatable. The science about adhd is quite dated though (as is the cis-heteronormativity). While it had many useful insights, it focussed primarily on hyperactive men and the problems they face, and only touched briefly upon adhd in women, or less impulisve and less stereotypical manifestations of the disorder. Still worth reading since it is very informative and well written, but if you don't recognize yourself in it, that's probably why.
REVIEW:
When I started looking for books on adhd after being newly diagnosed, this book was the first on a lot of lists; described by many as 'the adhd-bible'. So naturally I decided to pick it up. I found a lot of interesting information in this book, and a lot of useful tips, especially in chapter 8. I do have some notes, however, which I will address later on.
What Driven to Distraction does well is explain what adhd is on a fundamental level, how it is more than simply distractibility, impulsivity, hyperactivity, and what problems people commonly face as a result of untreated adhd. (When it comes to how adhd presents and how people cope, however, the author primarily focusses on hyperactive men.. which I'll discuss more later.)
For example, while I knew people with adhd experience hyperfocus, I never realized you can also hyperfocus on negative thoughts/emotions, often leading to anxiety like symptoms and excessive worrying. (Or hyperfocus on harmful habits, increasing the risk of addiction)
The author also explains how living with undiagnosed adhd can cause low self-esteem, depression, and anxiety, because many people with adhd are treated like failures by society.
I would, however, have like to read more about emotional dysregulation, which is very common in people with adhd, and often happens at a biological level rather than a psychological one.
Most of the chapters are structured around case studies of particular clients the author has seen. While those were well written and intriguing, they were very one-sided: they usually focussed on the hyperactive, disruptive, impulsive high-stimulation seeking boy or man. This is of course a common manifestation of adhd and deserves it's place in the book; it is, however, by far not the only one. The author does stress this continually, stating how adhd often looks different in women, doesn't require hyperactivity, can be masked by anxiety or compulsive behaviours; however, he barely illustrates this, only using a case study or two, and hardly elaborating on these less stereotypical manifestations of the disorder. This is especially true in the chapters on relationships, family and children. (The chapter on types of adhd goes into some detail about this, but only briefly, and that's about it.)
I get of course that this book was published in the 90's, and that it was incredibly revolutionary at the time; it showed people that disruptive, impulsive, inattentive behaviour is not necessarily due to a character flaw or lack of discipline, but due to a neurological condition that can be treated quite effectively.
And while I did find a great deal of recognition and some new information in this book (although the chapter on science is quite dated; for information about the biology of adhd this book is not great) , I didn't find it to be quite the "adhd bible" people described it as. I get that for some with the more (stereo)typical form of adhd this book can be a life-changer.
I do think it's a good book to have read if you're interested in learning about adhd, it has definitely broadened my understanding of it; it should just not be the only book. (I wonder if delivered from distraction, a more recent book by the same authors, might be better.)
One last thing that bothered me was the author's continual uses of 'he or she', and the heteronormativity in the chapters on relationships and family. (I don't think it has ever occurred to the author that queer relationships exist).
Then again, this book was written in the 90's, but I'm sure there are more inclusive and more current books out there.
If I find alternatives I will list them here.