Edward M. Hallowell

"In 1994, Driven to Distraction sparked a revolution in our understanding of attention deficit disorder. Now a second revolution is under way in the approach to ADD, and the news is great. Drug therapies, our awareness of the role of diet and exercise, even the way we define the disorder -- all are changing radically. In this new book, Drs. Edward M. Hallowell and John J. Ratey build on the breakthroughs of Driven to Distraction to offer a comprehensive and entirely up-to-date guide to show more living a rich and productive life with ADD.

"Tailored expressly to ADD learning styles and attention spans, Driven to Distraction provides accessible, engaging discussions of every aspect of the condition, including new diagnostic procedures; whether ADD runs in families; links between ADD and other conditions; ways people with ADD can free up their inner talents; the truth about the new drugs and how they work; exciting advances in nonpharmaceutical therapies; sexual problems associated with ADD and how to resolve them; and strategies for dealing with procrastination, clutter, and chronic forgetfulness. Driven to Distraction is a wise, nurturing guide to releasing the positive energy that ll people with ADD hold inside."
~~back cover

Reading this book, I discovered more things about myself that are the result of my ADD, most specifically: piles. I've always made piles and they've always gotten out of hand; I thought it was just me. I looked around my house and remembered all the enormous piles I've dealt with and removed, and then I looked around again at all the new piles that have taken their place. "Then, one unsuspecting day, we walk into our disorganized office and see that it looks like a dumpster was emptied in it, and we fall to our knees and cry. We feel overwhelmed and inept. Incompetent. Lost. And so sad." What a perfect description of my life! "Most people will counsel you on how to get superorganuized. I urge you to ignore that advice if you have ADD. It is just not in the cards for you. But it doesn't matter. Instead, put your energy into getting well enough organized to reach your dreams." Talk about your get-out-of-jail-free cards! Following this excellent, practical advice will mean giving up my dream of a minimalist, uncluttered house and office, but obviously that's exactly what I need to do.

This book has this kind of practical, supportive advice for so many of the problems and difficulties that plague people with ADD. I can't recommend it strongly enough! show less

The book offers some good pointers scattered throughout the short chapters, but it drags on a bit. Also, it discusses "The Internet" as if the Internet were some kind of foreign entity that forces people to do its will. It's almost not worth mentioning that the book is heterocentrist (the title does include the word "Married"), but on top of that, the authors assume that men cheat and women don't and that porn is something that only men consume while feeling alone and guiltily so. All of show more that isn't so surprising when you get towards the end of the book and the authors start waxing poetic on how believing in the Christian god is some sort of amazing and scary challenge for only the brave, just like how they think marriage is. If I wanted a Christian book, I would have gotten an explicitly religious one, not one that does not denote itself as such; furthermore, in a society dominated by the religious and where atheists are the least trusted minority despite evidence that we commit far fewer crimes than religious people, it's far scarier to be an atheist than a mainstream Christian theist. If there were a Jesus fish on the cover of this book or some similar sort of warning, then this book would have escaped my negative review and low rating, but as it stands, I wish I hadn't wasted my time on it. show less

This book is helpful both for the parent and and for anyone's own self-reflection. The framework is a cycle of five elements to adult happiness. I would have read this as a new parent if I'd known about it. It's old enough that I wonder if some of the research findings have changed. Most notably there's an observation that one of the factors linked to adult happiness is extraversion. In the past decade, we've seen several notable books about the positive qualities of introverts.

I've been struggling recently with trying to figure out why I am the way I am, and my therapist gave me this book to read, to see if I could relate to any of it. Well, it was like the proverbial light bulb turned on over my head. This book read like a guidebook to what I've been struggling with my entire life. If you have, or suspect you have, ADD or if you live with someone who has it, this would be a good place to start as the book is extremely readable and understandable.