The Attention Deficit Disorder in Adults Workbook [Paperback]

Her title, "Attention Deficit Disorder In Adults" mises the pizzazz enjoyed by flashier titled books, but the content is succinct and superb. The much larger "Driven to Distraction" is more thorough, by far, but it also has 100 more pages. Weiss' gives the reader just enough to start the reader exploring ADD seriously for the first time.

Kenneth A. Bonnet Ph. D. is promoted with her, as he penned the introduction. Feel free to skip it; there is nothing useful there.

Just as anecdotal as any other psychology-related popularly written book, the reader will see several case studies to which he or she might relate.

Weiss lists and describes the emotional pain felt by most ADD sufferers, from self-esteem to anger and more.

She presents the positives of ADD, and how having it isn't a condemnation to a life of rags and sad frustrations.

Unlike some other books, Weiss isn't playing the game that ADD is a blessing, but she objectively acknowledges what it is, and what can be done about it. She discusses with candor romantic relationships. There is an excellent question-answer section for friends and family.

The best value comes from the chapter on restructuring. At a certain point, someone with ADD knows what's going on, but what they want to know is how to deal with it. Weiss shows the way with example charts that can realistically applied.

The singular drawback to this book is its need for an update. Research has been exploding with new ideas in medication, diagnoses and management. Weiss tackles all of this in a 60+ page Appendices section, with contact information for support groups, organizations, and sample official letters to interested parties. Year to year, these lists can quickly become out of date.

I'm a big fan of Weiss for the reason that through every one of her books, she's a pragmatist. No silly games of "I think I can, I think I can," but good old-fashioned how-tos.

Other helpful books in the ADD reader's library will be "Driven to Distraction" by Hallowell and Ratey, "Uncommon Gifts" by James Evans (very encouraging, especially for men), and "Managing Attention & Learning Disorders: Super Survival Strategies" by Elaine K. McEwan.

I fully recommend "Attention Deficit Disorder in Adults" by Lynn Weiss.

Anthony Trendl

Another book that I read just after being diagnosed and medicated for ADHD is "Safe People" by Cloud and Townsend. It helped me to re-set limits, re-define boundaries, and fine tune my interactions. It is also available on audio!

I believe that I've never been diagnosed with the condition precisely because of the lack of the hyperactivity symptoms (e.g. acting out behavior in class) that the book focused on. I overcompensated in various areas to function & "succeed" the best I could. I was disappointed that the book didn't really get into this aspect of Adult ADD (overcompensation), and seemed to focus on adults who had "failure after failure" and experienced a great deal of verbal and/or physical abuse as a result, as well.

There were some helpful tips in managing ADD symptoms such as distractability. e.g. She suggested working on pacing of tasks and creating a conducive environment. However, she presented some of the ideas as if all those with ADD would benefit. e.g. She wrote "Sound screens are important," explaining that "white noise" like TV or the radio could help an individual focus on a task. Perhaps, but personally, white noise doesn't work for me, and distracts rather than focuses my attention. I need complete silence, and must wear earplugs to concentrate. I appreciated her inclusion of the white noise idea, but I think it would've been better if she presented it as one option, not a suggestion for everyone.