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Driven to Distraction: Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood through Adulthoodby Edward M. Hallowell, M.D. and John J. Ratey, M.D. Reviewed by Janie Bowman [Note: I reviewed this for the former ADD Forum on CompuServe. I often recommend this book to homeschooling parents who suspect their children have ADD, or whose children have been diagnosed with ADD. IMO, this book presents a good foundation from which to work. It doesn't hurt that both authors have the trait themselves. Driven to Distraction draws the reader into the lives of ADD adults and children by providing interactive patient/client case histories presented with sensitivity and compassion. The book, written by two Boston area psychiatrists who have ADD themselves, provides a mirror for all the idiosyncrasies that ADD people face each day: unfinished projects, restlessness, procrastination, the struggle with distractibility and not being organized. Dr. Hallowell redefines ADD as a syndrome "not of attention deficit but of attention inconsistency" then uses this as a basis for a powerfully-packed book that addresses the positive aspects and struggles of ADD adults, children and families. Generously sprinkled within the book are tips that provide parameters for positive change. For example, if you or your spouse have ADD, Hallowell lists 25 guidelines for helping couples. Live in an ADD family? 25 more tips. Looking for ways to manage your Adult ADD? Or the management of ADD in the classroom? 50 tips each. And there's more... The most clinical, yet interesting, part of the book involves the description of the criteria used to diagnose ADD, the 13 subtypes of ADD, treatment and biological issues. The book does not overwhelm the reader with quotes from extensive research studies, but provides a compassionate framework of knowledge. Medication is discussed, but is listed last on the list for their "Synopsis of Treatment of ADD." Creatively, Dr. Hallowell shares his experience with ADD, both personally and professionally. For example, in the chapter titled "I Sang in My Chains Like the Sea" you're pulled back into childhood memories if you're an Adult with ADD and you're drawn into your child's world if you're the parent of an ADD child. In reading Driven to Distraction, you'll experience the ADD world in realistically new and different ways. You'll laugh and you'll cry, but you'll close the last page of the book with a renewed sense of belonging and hope. Driven to Distraction Edward M. Hallowell, M.D. in private practice in adult and child psychiatry, lives in the Boston area with his wife and children. Co-author John J. Ratey, M.D., an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, is also in private practice in the Boston area. Both authors have the ADD trait themselves. Contact Janie Bowman
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