Taking Charge of Adult ADHD: Proven Strategies to Succeed at Work, at Home, and in Relationships.

Taking Charge of Adult ADHD: Proven Strategies to Succeed at Work, at Home, and in Relationships (2021) Russell A. Barkley and Christine M. Benton

I skipped around a lot in this book. First, I skipped the entire first section, since I was reading this book after a diagnosis of ADHD. I also looked for sections focusing on issues I felt were the greatest problems to me. Sadly, I have discovered that I actually meet every single criteria for both types of ADHD, so I have gone back to reference the sections I thought weren’t relevant.

The hardest thing for me to wrap my brain around was Executive Functions.

• Self-awareness
• Inhibition
• Nonverbal working memory
• Verbal working memory
• Emotion regulation
• Self-motivation
• Planning/ problem solving

I found a different book to have descriptions that made sense to me.

What was useful were the many lists of different traits linked to ADHD.

I mean. Really.

(L)less aware than others of how loudly they’re talking, how much they’re talking, what they’re trying to say, how much they’re moving while saying it, why they’re even saying it (rambling and forgetting their goals), and especially how others are reacting to what they’re saying.

Well, that’s me to a tee.

There used to be AHDH and ADD, however now the diagnostic criteria are: ADHD Inattentive type and ADHD Hyperactivity and impulsivity type

Although the diagnostic criteria were listed in the back of the book, I found it far more helpful to talk through the list with my doctor. Which is how I discovered I hit every criteria for both types, and not just the hyperactivity and impulsivity type as I’d originally thought.

In the end, this book was a useful reference, but I found talking things out with my doctor to be far more helpful, as it allowed me to see different ways the criteria could appear–as well as how they might interact with ASD.

Publisher: The Guilford Press

Rating: 7/10

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