Delivered from Distraction: Getting the Most Out of Life with Attention Deficit Disorder [Paperback]

All educators, HR professionals and parents should read this book, along with those who are concerned that they might have Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). Doctors Edward M. Hallowell and John J. Ratey obviously know what they are talking about: Both have coped with ADD and flourished, in part due to it. They share case studies that illustrate how harrowing life with ADD can be, but they never relinquish their supportive tone. In fact, the book is so reassuring, and so consistently champions the possibilities of treatment and a successful life, that this advocacy is probably its main (though minor) weakness. The authors sound a positive note so strongly that it may overstate the case. This is most evident when cheering the successes of children with ADD, and schools that support them. That one fleck of salt aside, this book is very careful. It discusses the possibilities, even the likelihoods, of misdiagnoses. It reviews mainstream treatments, other treatments for which much professional experience but few studies exist, and new or experimental treatments for which little data exists, describing each and distinguishing among them. Given that it is organized to take the target audience's needs into account, and full of rich metaphors and personal asides, getAbstract finds this book as pleasant as it is useful.

This is a great book written by two medical experts (both with ADD) that goes a long way to explain what AD(H)D is and how it can affect you or those you love. It is unceasingly positive, and leaves you with a strong sense that ADHD is not a 'disability' but a simply a feature, and in many ways a gift.

ADHD stands for 'Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder'. The authors dislike both the Hyperactivity and the Disorder terms, since many people with it are not hyperactive, and once you are aware of the strengths and weaknesses it has, it can be a gift not a disorder. When explaining ADHD to young patients, they describe it as like having a 'racing car brain'. It's a powerful, fast, fantastically creative brain. it is a brain that is great at solving problems or creating wonderful new ideas or works of art. It has exceptional potential. It also gets bored and distracted very easily precisely because it is so powerful, so it needs to be kept challenged and given some steering and guidance to avoid crashing and get the best from it. And that sums up ADHD very nicely.

Many children, and indeed adults, with ADHD go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed for many years. The 'H' in ADHD doesn't help, as hyperactivity may not occur at all in those with ADHD-Inattentive Type. Correct diagnosis is a huge help as you can then understand the factors that make the most of the gift of ADHD, and those that can hinder it. Once you know that, you can shape schooling and careers to make the most of this particular facet.

It you think someone you know may have ADD/ADHD, do a bit of Googling to get a feel for what typical signs and symptoms are, and if it looks worth investigating then this book is an excellent next step. As you go through it, you will be able to undertake a good initial assessment, and again if that indicates ADHD may be a factor, you can approach your GP with grounds for why a more detailed expert assessment is worthwhile. A DIY diagnosis is ok as far as it goes, but if there is a significant issue you definitely need an expert assessment as human psychology is incredibly complex, and there are other similar or related conditions that may require completely different treatment.

It is still not a well understood condition, with many myths and misunderstandings, and this book cuts through the fog and allows you to assess the situation confidently. If ADHD looks likely, it tells you a great deal about what it is like to have or live with someone with the condition, good and bad. It also provides a lot of anecdotes and information on self-help/coaching/structure to deal with it as best as possible. If ADHD is present but not causing significant impact for extended periods (6 months or more) it may not need medical treatment. However if it is having a significant long-term detrimental affect on study or work, then professional help could make a huge difference.

There's no single sign that will identify ADHD as an issue - it is a combination of many factors, all of which feature in everyday 'normal' behaviour. It is when they disrupt the ability to study, work or live 'normally', that they become an issue and potentially the condition known as ADHD. Some signs might be someone who is falling a long way below their potential, who appears lazy and procrastinates excessively, isn't engaged with study or work when they are perfectly capable of tackling it, who may be disruptive / impulsive / unresponsive / careless, who has an addictive / pleasure seeking personality (sweets, booze, fags drugs), and is excessively untidy or disorganised. Much of this behaviour is entirely normal and something most people experience to varying degrees from day to day or for particular phases of their life. If the signs have existed to varying degrees over many years, and are impacting ability to function properly for extended periods (6 months+), it is worth exploring and this book will clear things up one way or another.

If it looks likely, then professional help is strongly recommended - a wrong diagnosis means wrong treatment and things getting worse not better. Few GPs fully understand the condition, and the nature of it is such that few people with it will approach a GP unless and until things have got really out of hand. By that stage, they are likely to be quite depressed too, and that may present as the most obvious symptom and become the focus of treatment. Apart from anything else, GPs are far more familiar with depression than ADHD. Unfortunately the treatment for depression is unlikely to help the ADHD (though the 2 conditions may need parallel treatment), whereas if ADHD is correctly identified and treated, normal function will return and the cause of the depression will go.

Nothing in psychology is clear cut, but this book will really help you understand what ADHD is, what the signs,symptoms and treatments are, and it also goes on to look at the changes one can make to one's schooling or work life to make the most of this mixed blessing. Is it a disaster? Anything but. Some authors have studied the lives and behaviour of talented people and concluded that quite a few of them exhibited signs of ADHD, including: Alexander Graham Bell, Beethoven, Lewis Carroll, Winston Churchill, Cher, Agatha Christie, Leonardo da Vinci, Salvador Dali, Walt Disney, Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, Ernest Hemingway, John and Robert Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln, Mozart, the Wright brothers, Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, Dustin Hoffman, Michael Jordan, Will Smith, Ozzy Osbourne and recently even Rory Bremner. I make no claims to that being true, but if that's what having ADHD is like, you're certainly in good company.

As someone who has ADHD and struggles sometimes to stay on top of life, this is a good and helpful book. There are some true stories, which don't benefit the reader directly, but which made me feel better - there are ways to get through. There are some great tips and tricks. I really struggle with piles (that's paper, not the other sort) and Ned Halliwell has some ideas which I will put into practice. I could go on, but I'll just say that I felt a whole lot better about life after reading this book.
PS - the tags that Amazon offered me for this review included 'disabilities' - whatever ADHD is, I wouldn't say it's a disability. It's a way of life, which incidentally is one of the themes of the book.....