Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsIf you or someone you know has ADD or ADHD, read this book.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 26, 2023
After reading the preface I’m convinced I have had ADD my entire life (I’m now 61). The funny thing is that I have a few brothers with ADD and a son with ADD. I thought I could have it but you don’t hear about many girls/women with it. At least I haven’t.
I kind of understood ADD when my son was diagnosed at a very early age but it was stigmatized and the meds didn’t make him feel very good. He was on Ritalin for only one or two weeks and developed a tic of eye blinking that he continues to have to this day at 40. Some meds work better than others but we weren’t given other options and frankly the reaction to Ritalin worried us to try others had the doctor suggested it. He does better on Adderall, he tried one of his sons and said it was the best work day he has ever had. He is afraid of trying then long term so isn’t taking anything at the moment. He thinks he is functioning better and we see it too.
As for me, I’ve been procrastinating for months to set up appointments with a therapist but after reading a portion of the book I realized if I don’t want to continue feeling like a frenzied, unorganized, anxiety ridden person I need to take the first step. I now have multiple appointments set up, they must know that’s what we do, so push for multiple appointments upfront haha.
The doctors that wrote this book together also have ADD so reading it, at least for me, has been the easiest book to read though I still bounce around. He recognizes that and tells the readers to go ahead and read the chapters you want to. I always start at the beginning with the intentions of reading the book through but find myself skipping paragraphs, skimming to the good parts that interest me and about 2/3 of the way through I put it down and never get around to finishing it. I definitely get enough out of the book to understand the message though and this books preface was enough to help me, however the real life stories are riveting when you see yourself through their story. I find myself saying out loud, “That’s me!” Over and over with several of them, not all of them.
Another thing that I learned is that there are different categories of ADD. The hyper side, the risk takers, those with sex addictions, tempers, etc. I’m mostly a wandering mind person with frustrations that can lead to bursts of anger when overwhelmed. I’m also dealing with anxiety to the point that it’s uncomfortable to leave the house, fear with panic. Not a fun feeling and my life is boring now. I feel isolated and I’m missing out on the things and miss doing the things that I love.
Another thing that I learned from this book is the loss of memory. I have little memory of the things we’ve done as a family. They will reminisce about vacations, or day trips and adventures we’ve had, pets we’ve had and I can’t remember the details. I know I was there. I can picture that I was there, they tell me I was there, but that’s all I have. It’s sad to not have those memories with your kids. It’s like being present but not being a part of it. Like looking through a window with no emotional memory.
I highly recommend this book to help yourself move beyond that stuck feeling or for family or friends that suffer from it. It’ll help you to understand yourself or your family member, get the help you need and lead a fuller life. At least that’s what I feel I’ll be getting out of therapy and maybe even medication. Get the help while you’re young.
