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A review by alina_leonova
ADHD 2.0: New Science and Essential Strategies for Thriving with Distraction—From Childhood Through Adulthood by John J. Ratey, Edward M. Hallowell
4.0
It's the first book about ADHD that I've read, so I have nothing to compare it to. I think it's an informative and helpful book. I really liked the emphasis that it put on the strengths of the ADHD brain. Yes, it makes life harder in many aspects, but it can also be an advantage, we just need to learn how to work with it.
The authors discuss how strengthening balance, exercising and the right diet can have a positive impact on focus, productivity and mood. They also provide an overview of various meds for ADHD and offer some strategies to cope with it.
However, when they talk about building the right structure into your day, they don't explain how to do it. It seems to me that saying to someone who has ADHD that they need structure without offering solutions is pretty unhelpful. The authors mention setting reminders and immediately say that ADHDers often disregard reminders and don't pay attention to them anyway. I believe they also mention making lists, but who hasn't tried a hundred different ways and apps? They work until they don't.
They also say that ADHD manifests itself differently in women and that women often don't get diagnosed because of it, but most of the examples of their patients that they discuss are boys and men. They mention a few women but no girls. Taking into account the first sentence of this paragraph, I'd appreciate more examples with women and girls. Since ADHD is different for us, maybe it would be easier to relate to someone who is more like us, recognize our symptoms and struggles in them.
The book is written in a simple and clear language that is easy to follow. It's also pretty short. Despite a few things that I mentioned above, I enjoyed it and found it helpful.
The authors discuss how strengthening balance, exercising and the right diet can have a positive impact on focus, productivity and mood. They also provide an overview of various meds for ADHD and offer some strategies to cope with it.
However, when they talk about building the right structure into your day, they don't explain how to do it. It seems to me that saying to someone who has ADHD that they need structure without offering solutions is pretty unhelpful. The authors mention setting reminders and immediately say that ADHDers often disregard reminders and don't pay attention to them anyway. I believe they also mention making lists, but who hasn't tried a hundred different ways and apps? They work until they don't.
They also say that ADHD manifests itself differently in women and that women often don't get diagnosed because of it, but most of the examples of their patients that they discuss are boys and men. They mention a few women but no girls. Taking into account the first sentence of this paragraph, I'd appreciate more examples with women and girls. Since ADHD is different for us, maybe it would be easier to relate to someone who is more like us, recognize our symptoms and struggles in them.
The book is written in a simple and clear language that is easy to follow. It's also pretty short. Despite a few things that I mentioned above, I enjoyed it and found it helpful.