In this video, I'll give my summary and take aways from the book More Attention, Less Deficit: Success Strategies for Adults with ADHD by psychologist Ari Tuckman.
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*** A full transcript can be found at www.marblejar.net. ***
Hi, everyone. This is Lara Hammock from the Marble Jar channel and in today's video, I'll give my summary and take aways from the book More Attention, Less Deficit: Success Strategies for Adults with ADHD by psychologist Ari Tuckman.
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I'm going to implement a little more structure to my book summary videos, so that I am more likely to make them. My new structure is going to be a quick overview of what the book is about, who the author is, and who the book is for. Then I'll review the structure of the book, talk about whether I recommend it and why (and let's be honest, I really only do summaries of books that I'm willing to recommend) and 5-10 take aways that stood out for me. So, let's start with an
Overview
This, nearly 400 page book, is a comprehensive book on Adult ADHD. It was written in 2009, which means that it lacks some up-to-date tech strategies (for one thing -- smart phones were not widely used back then), but it is a complete reference book for adults who may be struggling with ADHD. As a therapist, I also found the content incredibly useful. The treatment of ADHD is considered a specialization despite the fact that upwards of 20% of clients seeking mental health services present with ADHD symptoms. Since I have mild ADHD myself, I know more than the typical therapist through my own reading and experience, but even so I learned quite a bit from this book. Ari Tuckman is a psychologist who has a practice outside of Philadelphia and specializes in ADHD, Couples Therapy, and sex therapy.
Structure
Okay -- you can tell that Dr. Tuckman is familiar with ADHD reading preferences just in the way he structured the book. It is made up of 1-2 page "articles" on different topics. And although there IS an organized structure to the way they are ordered, you can easy dip in and out and read only the articles that are of interest or are relevant to you. Brilliant. I also like the way he has structured the information in the book -- it makes sense to me. It's in sections. First
- Understanding ADHD
- Definition & Executive Functions
- Diagnosing
- ADHD and the Brain
- Why ADHD affects your life
- Treatment
- Medication
- Therapy and Coaching
- Non-traditional Treatments
- Skills Building
- Self Esteem and Effectiveness
- Memory Management
- Time Management
- Organization
- Tools
- Goals
- Specific Areas of Life
- Household Chores
- Relationships
- College
- Work
So, if you already know about ADHD and are simply reading to learn some new skills, you can skip directly to that section. Or you can read it from start to finish the way I did.
Recommend?
I would definitely recommend this book if you have ADHD -- particularly if you were diagnosed later in life -- or if someone you love has it. In addition, I think it's a great primer for therapists since we are on the front lines of diagnosis and can help ease some of the suffering around the struggles that having ADHD can inject into modern life. I love the author's tone -- he is chatty and casual. His metaphors and sayings are memorable and make sense to me. Again, it could use an update since it was written in 2009, which makes some of his tools and recommendations obsolete (think Palm Pilots and wall calendars), but it is easy to read and is chock full of great information.
Take Aways
This is the part of the video where I pick out 5-10 things that stood out for me. Either because it was new information, or because it was an interesting way of thinking about or presenting something.
- Four-part integrative treatment model - I have plenty of clients with ADHD and embrace all of these treatment steps, but I liked hearing them spelled out. The 4 step treatment process is: Education, Medication (he has a strong preference for stimulant medication - as do I), coaching and therapy. Which leads me to my next big take away which is
- The difference between coaching and therapy - again, this was a bit murky for me since I happen to do both of these things in my practice, but coaching is about skills building, strategies, and effectively handing the daily demands of life. ADHD coaches tend to meet by phone and can have regular email check-ins between calls. In contrast, therapy can help to address some of the negative core beliefs that can come from a lifetime of undiagnosed ADHD. Which brings us to the next take away . . .