Taking charge of adult ADHD
Dr. Barkley provides step-by-step strategies for managing symptoms and reducing their impact. Readers get hands-on self-assessment tools and skills-building exercises, plus clear answers to frequently asked questions about medications and other treatments. --from publisher description
Stats for nerds
14recommend
22mentions
18people
2015–2026years
77% recommend23% neutral
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- Dr. Russel Barkley co-authored Taking Charge of Adult ADHD, which is a useful book for anyone interested in the subject.
- Update: The title of the book should have been “Taking Charge of Adult ADHD.” It’s a great book; my psychiatrist recommended it, and I’m grateful for it. Full of actionable ideas and suggestions.
- I'm a similar age. I was diagnosed with ADHD a few years ago. Things got a lot better after my diagnosis.
Firstly, work with your health care providers. ADHD medication works well, even though it doesn't really feel like it works. (Even now I feel like my medication doesn't really do anything but if you compare my life before and after it's night and day).
Reading your post, it looks like you're having a rough time. Job hunting isn't easy, especially when you have ADHD. Rejection hurts for even the most well adjusted people. When you're feeling low it's very easy for your thoughts to spiral out of control. Try to notice when and how this is happening. For example:
Me: "I'm 36, I'm too old to ever get hired!" Also me: "Is it true that no one over the age of 36 gets hired for jobs? Do I know anyone in my life who got a job over this age? Oh, my uncle was laid off 5 years ago and he got one."
There are many different cognitive distortions like this. You can google to find examples of them or work with a therapist to help notice them. Try reading "Feeling Good" by David Burns, he has lots of good examples to draw from.
It might seem a bit counterintuitive, but being kind and forgiving of your shortcomings can often make you more effective and productive. Imagine procrastinating for 4 hours in the morning and getting nothing done. It's easy to think "Damn, I'm worthless. I just can't focus. I can't stay on task. I'll never get a job at this rate." Now you feel awful. When you get back from lunch, you're much more likely to procrastinate to distract yourself from these negative thoughts and feelings.
Instead, try accepting and forgiving yourself: "I didn't do anything this morning. It happens sometimes. I'll try to just doing a little this afternoon and see how it goes.". It's true, you might still procrastinate, but you have a better chance of getting to it now that the negative emotions are smaller and more manageable.
I also recommend Taking Charge of Adult ADHD by Russell A. Barkley as a good handbook, especially if you've been diagnosed recently.
- symptoms can change through time, and be triggered by life events. It can be that a person had the coping mechanisms for one manifestation of symptoms, but due to external events, they don't work anymore.
The book I'm reading, Taking Charge of Adult ADHD, mentions that for an evaluation and diagnosis to be reliable in adulthood, the current form of symptoms should be happening for the past 6 months.
great book btw, highly recommend it.
- To start with, where do you currently feel limited in your life? What made you seek a diagnosis?
Personally, I couldn't keep a job for years. This led me to realize I had ADHD and get diagnosed. You seem to be successfully running a company, so you might have developed the good coping skills to deal with your limitations already.
I recommend reading Taking Charge of Adult ADHD by Russell Barkley. It's a good first book for people with ADHD and can answer a lot of basic questions about medication, therapy and feelings you might have after being diagnosed.
- Here's a list of resources that may help you:
* Virtual focus/co-working rooms: https://www.focusmate.com, https://www.flow.club/, https://guzey.com/co-working/
* ADHD: https://add.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/adhd-questionnair..., Book: Taking Charge of Adult ADHD, https://cerebral.com/ and https://www.donefirst.com/
* Book: Refuse to Choose!: Use All of Your Interests, Passions, and Hobbies
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