Driven to Distraction: Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder--From Childhood Through Adulthood
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-15 11:56:57
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Edward M. Hallowell
- ISBN：0307743152
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Summary
Groundbreaking and comprehensive， Driven to Distraction has been a lifeline to the approximately eighteen million Americans who are thought to have ADHD。 Now the bestselling book is revised and updated with current medical information for a new generation searching for answers。
Through vivid stories and case histories of patients—both adults and children—Hallowell and Ratey explore the varied forms ADHD takes， from hyperactivity to daydreaming。 They dispel common myths， offer helpful coping tools， and give a thorough accounting of all treatment options as well as tips for dealing with a diagnosed child， partner， or family member。 But most importantly， they focus on the positives that can come with this “disorder”—including high energy， intuitiveness， creativity， and enthusiasm。
Through vivid stories and case histories of patients—both adults and children—Hallowell and Ratey explore the varied forms ADHD takes， from hyperactivity to daydreaming。 They dispel common myths， offer helpful coping tools， and give a thorough accounting of all treatment options as well as tips for dealing with a diagnosed child， partner， or family member。 But most importantly， they focus on the positives that can come with this “disorder”—including high energy， intuitiveness， creativity， and enthusiasm。
Reviews
Jayse Weaver
，
a long but worthwhile journey to finish this book。 can't really articulate just how validating and eye-opening it was。 a long but worthwhile journey to finish this book。 can't really articulate just how validating and eye-opening it was。 。。。more
JC
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Crap。 （My reaction to reading this not a commentary on the book content）。 I swore very loudly when reading some of this。 Basically if the subject area interests you this is a highly recommended book and I can see why。
Sol Smith
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This is the handbook for ADD and ADHD that you’re looking for。 While it is a little out of date （there may be a more updated edition， but mine was clearly rooted in the late 90s）， it clearly elucidates the world of attention deficit and the tendencies it encompasses。 If you don’t have ADHD， you know someone who does。 This book breaks things down in a helpful， empathetic way。 I honestly believe everyone should read it so they are not governed by the popular cultures notions of this pervasive form This is the handbook for ADD and ADHD that you’re looking for。 While it is a little out of date （there may be a more updated edition， but mine was clearly rooted in the late 90s）， it clearly elucidates the world of attention deficit and the tendencies it encompasses。 If you don’t have ADHD， you know someone who does。 This book breaks things down in a helpful， empathetic way。 I honestly believe everyone should read it so they are not governed by the popular cultures notions of this pervasive form of neurodiversity。 。。。more
Lou
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more reassuring than useful
Shaun
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First half is mostly anecdotes as case studies， but it eventually addresses the many concerns about ADHD from every angle including all the speculation， the technical biological knowledge， and how to deal with both those who have it and those who care for them。
Mette
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This book was written with such warmth and respect， empathy and humility。 Having read it during a difficult time， when most things felt hopeless， this reading experience was quite healing for me。Reading it made me feel so many feelings - and I felt this sense of relief。 It is an odd - and powerful - experience to read about other people like yourself。 You are not alone in what you’re going through， even though it has felt like it。 Neither you nor your situation are hopeless。 Someone believes in This book was written with such warmth and respect， empathy and humility。 Having read it during a difficult time， when most things felt hopeless， this reading experience was quite healing for me。Reading it made me feel so many feelings - and I felt this sense of relief。 It is an odd - and powerful - experience to read about other people like yourself。 You are not alone in what you’re going through， even though it has felt like it。 Neither you nor your situation are hopeless。 Someone believes in you。 And it’s a relief hearing that from the experts， especially if you’ve been misunderstood in certain situations throughout your life （and finally have started to understand why）。A great book， especially if you are new to the adhd diagnosis and are tired of ignorance from people around you or from people within the healthcare system。 Thanks for giving me some hope！ 。。。more
Briar Smith
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Any person diagnosed with ADHD is likely to resonate with this book a lot because it's basically a book on different ways people manifest their ADHD， however I'm still not convinced that exercise and medication is a valid treatment， and for that matter I'm not convinced that ADHD itself is a correct or valid clinical diagnosis。 If you don't have the hyperactive part （ADD & ADHD are diagnosed as one in the same currently）， then it could also be generalized anxiety disorder。 So many of the symptom Any person diagnosed with ADHD is likely to resonate with this book a lot because it's basically a book on different ways people manifest their ADHD， however I'm still not convinced that exercise and medication is a valid treatment， and for that matter I'm not convinced that ADHD itself is a correct or valid clinical diagnosis。 If you don't have the hyperactive part （ADD & ADHD are diagnosed as one in the same currently）， then it could also be generalized anxiety disorder。 So many of the symptoms overlap， and I found that targeting my GAD actually has solved a lot of my "ADHD" problems， if not all of them， whereas exercise for example is only temporary relief。 But， exercise and concentration medication also work temporarily for correcting those exact symptoms in GAD， that being primarily lack of concentration。 Something to think about。 Maybe it does exist but the misdiagnosis percentage is extremely high。 。。。more
Lady V。
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A good enough exposition on ADHD that is at least partially empathetic to the disorder （and you'd really expect this considering *both* authors have it）， but one that runs into the many problems a lot of other books on psychology addressed to the open public do: - they write mostly from the point of view of others perceiving the disorder， rather than the person experiencing it- no accountability expected from people （particularly authority figures - e。g。 teachers / parents） who abuse and vilify A good enough exposition on ADHD that is at least partially empathetic to the disorder （and you'd really expect this considering *both* authors have it）， but one that runs into the many problems a lot of other books on psychology addressed to the open public do: - they write mostly from the point of view of others perceiving the disorder， rather than the person experiencing it- no accountability expected from people （particularly authority figures - e。g。 teachers / parents） who abuse and vilify the person with ADHD for years; ignorance is not and CANNOT be used as an excuse for maltreatment- little focus on the under-researched and undiagnosed cases of ADHD， which is in turn bound to perpetuate the issue。As one additional fault， that is particularly related to the disorder， there is very little mention or analysis of executive dysfunction despite this being one of the most common and problematic experiences people with ADHD have。 I am not a clinician but I have yet to meet a person with ADHD who does not dread it。 It has in my experience been my most problematic symptom， and probably the hardest to explain to an outsider。 How exactly do you tell someone that you want to do something， are capable of doing it， and yet you do not？ Support from psychologists is crucial to de-stigmatize and bring awareness， and it was absent。A lot of books of this nature seem to have a focus of making sure a person fits a societal box， rather than making sure that a person is happy， content， or otherwise satisfied with their condition and life。 One good thing I can say about the book is that it does point out the "good" parts of ADHD （as if the way others perceive it is a good way to divide things into good/bad）， but it was very sparse and lacking， and easy to forget once a person puts the book one。 When there is such an exclusive focus on the negative traits， when a lot of people with ADHD remain undiagnosed because they better fit the societal mould， you only stigmatize ADHD， and create a label for problems perceived by society， rather than create an earnest attempt at describing a different way of experiencing life。 。。。more
Abby Spudich
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I'm sure a lot of people found this book helpful， but I personally felt like there were far too many anecdotes in it。 I bet for a lot of people this makes them feel less alone， and I get that！ I just was a bit impatient to get to some more practical advice。 I'm sure a lot of people found this book helpful， but I personally felt like there were far too many anecdotes in it。 I bet for a lot of people this makes them feel less alone， and I get that！ I just was a bit impatient to get to some more practical advice。 。。。more
Lexi Happ
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As someone with a partner with ADHD， this book was an excellent primer on the subject。 It gave an overview of diagnosis and treatment and how ADHD truly impacts every part of your life。 Because I do not have ADHD myself， the topics covered in this book helped me to understand certain behaviors associated with it and suggestions for treatment。
Sam Berry
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A fantastic （if dated） book for people who think they or someone in their life may have or does have ADD/ADHD。 The targeted chapters allow you to skip over content that doesn't apply to you， and really speaks to all aspects of life that are affected by ADD and skills/tips to ameliorate the affects。 The book is written by someone with ADD， and includes many narratives from his patients with ADD over the years。 The narrative style helps keep the interest of the reader， and with so many excerpts fr A fantastic （if dated） book for people who think they or someone in their life may have or does have ADD/ADHD。 The targeted chapters allow you to skip over content that doesn't apply to you， and really speaks to all aspects of life that are affected by ADD and skills/tips to ameliorate the affects。 The book is written by someone with ADD， and includes many narratives from his patients with ADD over the years。 The narrative style helps keep the interest of the reader， and with so many excerpts from lived experiences of patients， the reader will no doubt read about experiences that mirror their own struggles。 This book is INCREDIBLY affirming， easy to read， positive， and even-keeled about the challenges of getting diagnosed， finding treatment， and working at the skills necessary for a fulfilling life with this disorder。 。。。more
Kaki
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Super helpful and insightful。 Made me feel less crazy and stupid， and more understood。
Jay Brummett
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Excellent book helping understand and work with a loved one recently diagnosed with ADD
Katelynne
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1） Helpful book。 I think this has some sort of explanation about what’s going on in my brain。2） will help me support kids more3） the format with the stories was hard to read。 Dude was obsessed with southern accents
Tom Jackson
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Eye openingThis has been a fantastic introduction to the syndrome， providing relatable stories and case studies， coping strategies， history， and biology which all help built a coherent understanding of ADD/ADHD and its subtypes。
Colette Fletcher
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very comprehensive and palatable。 I was diagnosed with adult ADHD last summer and after months of talk therapy treatment and education I’ve decided to take the plunge on medication。 This book made me feel better about *it all* and had many revelatory moments。 I especially appreciate the sentiment about how ADHD is like needing glasses。 I do also need glasses tho。 Haha。
Heather
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This book was a good audiobook that helped me understand my husband and son’s ADHD better。 Lots of information and treatment plans。 A bit redundant and long， but definitely worth it to listen to。
Harold
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Therapy Through ReadingThat's how this book felt。 Having gain so much understandment of my ADHD has been quite powerful。 It was such a pleasent read in itself。 It's structured in such a way that I could read a few pages instead of using social media。 Really helped with reading it all the way through！ Therapy Through ReadingThat's how this book felt。 Having gain so much understandment of my ADHD has been quite powerful。 It was such a pleasent read in itself。 It's structured in such a way that I could read a few pages instead of using social media。 Really helped with reading it all the way through！ 。。。more
Paige
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I'm not done reading （listening to） this book， but it occurred to me that I want to write a review， and I want to do it before I forget。 Because I will。 I'm listening to the audio version， but decided in chapter 3 or so to buy a hard copy to mark up and bookmark things to discuss with my husband， my daughter， or my doctor， or to read again to dig deeper into my response and process what I find。I wish I'd read this 10 years ago when I was diagnosed with ADHD。 （Or， hey， since we're time traveling: I'm not done reading （listening to） this book， but it occurred to me that I want to write a review， and I want to do it before I forget。 Because I will。 I'm listening to the audio version， but decided in chapter 3 or so to buy a hard copy to mark up and bookmark things to discuss with my husband， my daughter， or my doctor， or to read again to dig deeper into my response and process what I find。I wish I'd read this 10 years ago when I was diagnosed with ADHD。 （Or， hey， since we're time traveling: when I was 15 wondering why I couldn't just apply myself like everyone kept telling me。） The method of conveying information about how ADHD can feel and appear both internally or to an observer through personal narratives is extremely compelling。 I had to stop listening to the book during my repetitive work tasks， because I cry during more of the stories than I don't。 I initially wanted to listen to the whole thing all at once to get everything the author has to teach into my head as quickly as possible （with the thought of promptly moving on to something that DOES present more current research）， but I've had to spread it out， because I'm finding it so emotionally complicated and intense。 I have a stack of books about ADHD at home， most of which have been largely ignored aside from occasional flip-throughs and moves from one room to another in an attempt to remind myself that I really did intend to read them。 I think I read most of one of them， but I couldn't tell you which one or what it contained。 There is SO MUCH information about ADHD available that it's overwhelming to try to find a place to start or pick a book to read。 Many of the books are understandably dense and dry， making them difficult to get through and retain。 I decided to try an audiobook， because then I can combine it with other tasks which makes it easier for me to pay attention， and it's somehow less daunting to just press play。 I picked this one because I noticed it reoccurring on many other ADHD peoples' lists of books they found helpful and specifically as one they continued to recommend even as other books with more updated research and treatment information have been published。 I agree with all of them， but I was unprepared for exactly how emphatically I would agree。 If you're looking for the book to start with， this one。 If you want insight into what hidden ADHD-related grief， anger， or frustration you're harboring， this one。 If you want more understanding of what someone close to you experiences with their ADHD， this one。 If you seek empathy and support， struggle to know what to say to your family， partners， children， friends， educators， colleagues， or medical professionals， want a deeper understanding of a diagnosis， wonder how or why ADHD influences a relationship。。。 Read this one。And if you have a stack of books at home that you can't convince yourself to sit down with， listen to the audiobook。 。。。more
Anushka
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Find my reviews at Feminist QuillInstead of describing ADD as an inability to concentrate， this model presents it as the ability to concentrate on everything。~ Edward Hallowell， Driven to Distraction Filled with ADHD anecdotes derived from the author's life as well as those of his clients， Driven to Distraction gives anxious readers comforting reliability as well as a guide for the way forward。 The dated nature of the book （as well as some author bias） is clearer when the author steps off the bea Find my reviews at Feminist QuillInstead of describing ADD as an inability to concentrate， this model presents it as the ability to concentrate on everything。~ Edward Hallowell， Driven to Distraction Filled with ADHD anecdotes derived from the author's life as well as those of his clients， Driven to Distraction gives anxious readers comforting reliability as well as a guide for the way forward。 The dated nature of the book （as well as some author bias） is clearer when the author steps off the beaten path to speculate about the origins， causes and contributing factors of ADHD。 For e。g。， he says that the U。S。 may have a higher incidence of ADHD compared to the rest of the world because the people who settled there were by nature impulsive risk-takers （who immigrated。） In doing so， he seems to overlook the possibility of underdiagnosis in other countries - as well as in minority communities within the U。S。Other than this， Driven to Distraction is extremely helpful， giving information on the theoretical understanding of ADHD， the impact it has on families and communities and how to resolve conflicts arising from them， and in terms of reframing ADHD - away from "laziness" and towards a way more positive perception。 。。。more
Jared Bendavid
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Very， very informative， yet in an accessible way！ However， I should have noted prior to beginning that this was written before the release of DSMV—it uses descriptions provided in DSMIII— and thus some of the information has likely since changed。 The stories of patients with ADD， however， have certainly not。
Shawna Silberzahn
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I really lneed Ed all the very relate-able stories。 Just knowing that I’m not alone in my late diagnoses is really therapeutic in itself！ A lot of great information overall。 I personably would have enjoyed more science behind why my brain works this way， and maybe more discussion on the emotional toll late diagnosis has。 But overall， I would consider it my go-to recommendation for anyone needing more information on ADHD for all ages！
Millino
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یکی از جذابیت هاش اینه که حتی تو نوشتن یه ریویو و تلاش برای رسیدن به این هدف که "شاید یکی که اختلال توجه داشت بعدا این کامنت رو خوند و شک کردن و تونست با مشکلاتش کنار بیاد و زندگی بهتری داشت" میاد و مزاحم میشههمه حس های بد قبل و بعد کنکور رو یادم میارههمه موقعیت هایی که خودم یا کس دیگه ای به خاطر اینکه نتونسته بودم انتظاری رو که میدونستم درسته و منصفانه است رو برآورده کنم رو یادم میاره و دور سر خودم میچرخوندم تا نهایتا بعد چند دقیقه زل زدن به صفحه و فکر کردن به این که ماه گرفتگی بعدی کیه و آیا م یکی از جذابیت هاش اینه که حتی تو نوشتن یه ریویو و تلاش برای رسیدن به این هدف که "شاید یکی که اختلال توجه داشت بعدا این کامنت رو خوند و شک کردن و تونست با مشکلاتش کنار بیاد و زندگی بهتری داشت" میاد و مزاحم میشههمه حس های بد قبل و بعد کنکور رو یادم میارههمه موقعیت هایی که خودم یا کس دیگه ای به خاطر اینکه نتونسته بودم انتظاری رو که میدونستم درسته و منصفانه است رو برآورده کنم رو یادم میاره و دور سر خودم میچرخوندم تا نهایتا بعد چند دقیقه زل زدن به صفحه و فکر کردن به این که ماه گرفتگی بعدی کیه و آیا میتونم اون موقع بام تهران باشم یا نه و اینکه مگه نمیخواستم یه سفرنامه بنویسم و چرا نشد بی خیالش بشم و پاشم برم یکی از مجموعه الگوهای رفتاری "دوست داشتنی"م（از تک تکشون متنفرم） رو پیاده کنم تا حد اقل دیگه به اینکه نتونستم یه کامنت چهار پنج خطی در مورد کتابی که ازش خوشم اومد فکر نکنمنمیدونستم انقدر ناراحتی دارمحتی حین خوندن این کتابم انقدر بیرون نزده بود ولی چه میشه کرد؟ نمیشه در جست و جوی وقت هدر رفته رفت که، میشه؟ باید باش کنار اومدیه قسمت از کنار اومدنش هم برای من نوشتن این ریویو و تلاش برای گفتن این بود که حین فکر کردن به مشکلاتتون، همه دستاورد هایی که ندارین و حسرتشون رو میخورین، همه پروژه هایی که چون میتونستین شروع کردین و هیچ وقت تمومشون نکردین و خیلی چیزای دیگه یه جایی اون وسط، بین فحشایی که دارین به خودتون میدین به اختلال توجه و یادگیری هم فکر کنیدیکم در موردش مطالعه کنیداگه شکتون قوی تر شد برین پیش دکتراگه مبتلا بودین واقعا شروع کنید به درک خودتونتوضیح دادن وضعیتتون برای دیگرانو خب چیزای دیگهدر مورد کتاب یادم رفت بگم :）خوبه بد نیست :） 。。。more
Amanda Madrid
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Understand how the ADD brain works
Cheyenne
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This book absolutely contextualized my entire life。 It changed my perspective of myself， and it helped me go to my GP and talk about how I felt。 It lead to me being diagnosed with ADHD， and now I am on the path to being better than just a compensator。 Wonderful read， whether you're an adult with ADHD， an adult with a child that has ADHD， or someone trying to understand someone who has ADHD！ Its value is worth its weight in gold for the self-reflection it offers， but you can find it on Amazon for This book absolutely contextualized my entire life。 It changed my perspective of myself， and it helped me go to my GP and talk about how I felt。 It lead to me being diagnosed with ADHD， and now I am on the path to being better than just a compensator。 Wonderful read， whether you're an adult with ADHD， an adult with a child that has ADHD， or someone trying to understand someone who has ADHD！ Its value is worth its weight in gold for the self-reflection it offers， but you can find it on Amazon for just $15。 。。。more
Lauren MacPherson
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Despite being nearly 30 years old I really enjoyed reading this！ I didn’t read it because I was wondering if I have adhd （I do）， but for additional information and another perspective。 Felt very called out a lot of the time， but quite an insightful read。
Jordan
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Very informative and insightful！ The information is a little dated， but the core concepts are solid。 If you have ADHD or want to learn about ADHD， this is a must-read！
Katie McCandless
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Readable and informative with a great balance of research， case studies， tips， and advice。 The authors have ADHD themselves， lending the whole book a lot of humanity， warmth， compassion， and credibility。
Sarah Minto-Sparks
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This book gave me 20 years worth of of validation， hope， and empowerment about having ADD。 I love Dr。 Hallowell’s work/podcast already， but this is seriously just a great book for anyone who has or knows someone who has ADD！ Hallowell is incredibly compassionate and knowledgeable， and there are great concrete explanations and guidance for working with instead of against ADD in children/family systems as well as adults。
looneytune
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