Book SummaryTaking Charge of Adult ADHD, by Russell Barkley

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Taking Charge of Adult ADHD

For too long, conventional wisdom suggested that Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) was a diagnosis that only applied in childhood. Now we understand that many adults experience ADHD, though not necessarily in the same ways as children. Adults with ADHD struggle to cultivate time management and organization skills. Often, they’ll fail to stick to schedules, fulfill commitments, and maintain enough focus to achieve their goals. If you’re an adult with ADHD, even if it hasn’t been officially diagnosed, your ongoing struggles might lead you to internalize an undeserved sense of inadequacy, compounded by the fear that you’ll continually disappoint yourself and others in your life.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. In...

Taking Charge of Adult ADHD Summary What Is ADHD?

Many people struggle with impulsivity, keeping commitments, and managing their time, but for most, it doesn’t rise to the level of a clinical condition that significantly impairs how they live. That’s precisely what ADHD is—a neurological condition that inhibits how your brain processes information, regulates emotions, and predicts the consequences of your actions. We’ll start by discussing how ADHD is defined, where it comes from, and how it’s diagnosed.

According to Barkley, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is a condition arising from a biological deficiency of [restricted term] and [restricted term]—two chemicals commonly found in the brain. These chemicals are both neurotransmitters that govern how nerve cells respond to stimuli. When they’re lacking, certain mental functions don’t work, such as those involved in controlling impulses, making decisions, and planning ahead. People with ADHD also exhibit slower development and less neural activity in the regions of the brain associated with those functions. The root cause may be genetic—the risk for ADHD can run in families—but ADHD can sometimes be traced to brain injuries early in life or even during prenatal...

Taking Charge of Adult ADHD Summary The Symptoms of Adult ADHD

The common, public image of ADHD is that of a hyperactive, defiant child, but that is a vast oversimplification that ignores the deeper issues at work that follow people with ADHD into their adult lives. Barkley writes that adults with ADHD struggle with impaired cognitive functions that affect how their brains process information and regulate their emotions. This impairment takes the form of an inability to inhibit your actions, think beyond the present moment, and envision the likely consequences of any course of action you may take.

(Shortform note: The stereotypical childhood associations of ADHD that Barkley describes have roots in how the condition was discovered. Pediatricians first identified ADHD in children during the early 1900s, which they dubbed a “hyperkinetic reaction of childhood.” ADHD’s symptoms often become more apparent in structured educational settings, making it easier to identify in school, and researchers’ continual focus on children contributes to its perception as an impairment that only impacts the young. It wasn’t until 1994 that the American Psychological Association recognized ADHD as [a condition...

Taking Charge of Adult ADHD Summary Medications to Treat ADHD

Thankfully, ADHD can be dealt with. Barkley states unequivocally that medication is the most effective way to treat adult ADHD symptoms. Here, we’ll look at how ADHD medications work and the pros and cons of taking stimulants versus non-stimulant medications.

(Shortform note: Barkley presents stimulants and non-stimulants as two separate options for treatment, but studies have shown benefits from combining both types of medication, especially for people with certain types of impulse-control symptoms, tic disorders, or difficulty sleeping. Doctors note that when switching patients from one form of medication to another, there is generally a period of overlap between them anyway, where the effects of both types of medication are seen to be acting at once. Keep in mind that you should always work closely with a physician when managing treatments.)

As previously discussed, ADHD results from an imbalance of the neurochemicals [restricted term] and [restricted term], both of which are pivotal in processing information and regulating emotions. **ADHD medications work by correcting the...

Taking Charge of Adult ADHD Summary Behavioral Strategies to Manage ADHD

Though medication is your first line of defense against ADHD, throughout your life you’ve probably developed unhelpful behavior patterns (such as ignoring the rules of the road) because of your ADHD symptoms. Once your medication has begun to do its work, you may want to try to develop new habits to counter the ones ingrained by ADHD. Barkley provides tips on how to take advantage of your reduced symptoms to retrain your brain so it can work to your benefit. These include learning to pause before acting, using visualization techniques to better understand the flow of time around you, and taking advantage of some cognitive tricks to give you a leg up on planning and problem-solving.

(Shortform note: Before delving into Barkley’s suggestions for changing the habits ingrained by ADHD, let’s take a moment to look at habits themselves. Most psychologists describe habits as something you do without thinking because the behavior is programmed into your brain. A “cue” or “trigger” starts the program running, such as the smell of coffee igniting your desire for your first cup of the day. The cue is followed...

Shortform Exercise: Explore Your Path to Managing ADHD

Barkley suggests that to manage ADHD, you have to be familiar with how it affects you, what your medical options are, and what behavioral strategies are best suited for your needs. Explore which ADHD symptoms impact you the most and consider which strategies will benefit you the most. (Shortform note: Any decisions regarding treating your ADHD should be made in consultation with your doctor.)

Think about the ADHD symptoms that Barkley describes. Did you find any of them surprising? Briefly explain which ones impact you the most and how they show up in your life.