The reader who keeps an open mind about Adult ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) will find this book an eye-opener and its author incredibly astute and prescient.
Dr. Frank extensively and authoritatively documents his suggestion that Bush has Adult AD/HD. In fact, he does an astounding job linking untreated ADHD symptoms with Bush's lifelong patterns. In so doing, he demonstrates that, when ADHD is not recognized (in the child or the parent), fatal personality flaws might develop from what initially were minor or at least treatable symptoms.
For that reason alone, this book should be at the top of the bestseller list. Bob Woodward's book excellently records the facts of all that's transpired during this administration, but what's missing in his and all the other accounts is the WHY. The pundits always seem so flummoxed as to why Bush has done the things he's done - as if his actions have been deliberate and calculated, not unwitting but troubling neurobehaviors.
I read the first edition when it came out, so my memory is a bit foggy about that version. But I seem to recall that edition as being a more heavily swayed by the psychoanalytic side, which disappointed me. Moreover, psychoanalytic theory too often misses the genetic inheritance; that is, that the child has most likely inherited his or her brain "wiring" from one or both parents. For example, if the mother is narcissistic, did her behavior make the child narcissistic or did the child inherit the neurogenetic tendency to be narcissistic? After all, low empathy is a function of the brain; and narcissism is associated with low empathy. Could anyone witness Bush during Katrina (and many other examples) and not shudder at his obvious lack of empathy? It was quite obvious to me that he simply did not, could not, feel any.
To those long befuddled about why Bush motivations and "persona," here are some very good answers. The irony is, when it comes to neuroscience, too many in the "liberal media" are as anti-science as some of the people they criticize in their writing. But if you're going to argue for evolution, you should argue for science as it affects the brain, too.
PLEASE keep in mind that ADHD has many different manifestations. It is a syndrome. There is no one-size-fits-all descriptions for ADHD, and most people ADHD are not like Bush or even close! But, as Dr. Frank makes clear, Bush suffers from his own personal variation of the core deficits of impulsivity, hyperactivity, inattention, and dysregulation of temper -- complicated by an unusual family situation (to say the least).
Yet, to many Americans, Bush's impulsivity and impatience at working through ponderous details initially looked like "decisiveness." His inability to accurately assess risk and apply forethought was seen as "confidence." His intolerance for sustained mental effort was seen as a "CEO President" doing a heckuva job delegating. But oh, how dangerously wrong those perceptions were.
Until voters learn to recognize the signs of neurocognitive disorders, they will keep making ghastly misperceptions -- and our country will keep suffering the fallout. Untreated and unrecognized ADHD hurts mostly everyone: the adults who have it, their loved ones, and -- with the leader of the free world manifesting untreated, unrecognized ADHD symptoms -- the entire globe. It should be a sobering thought for every voter.
So, the part of the book I found most substantive was that which focuses on Bush's likely ADHD symptoms and explaining them in light of neuroscience. The rest -- the psychoanalysis - seemed a bit more like story-telling. Maybe true. Maybe fantasy. And, on the whole, not that useful, in my opinion. On the other hand, neurocognitive deficits are a lot more quantifiable, and obvious.
Examples from the book:
--"Impulsive, hair-trigger responses to real and perceived threats are also common for people with ADHD, who often act before determining whether the threat they perceive is in fact genuine."
--"To make matters worse, ADHD is often found to coexist with other learning disorders, the most common belonging to the family of dyslexias....Because the erratic attention span, impulsivity, and restlessness that are the primary symptoms of ADHD can make reading difficult, ADHD can mimic dyslexia, but they are two separate disorders. Bush's dyslexia is not officially documented, but his reading habits are, and they reveal several earmarks of the disorder. He has said repeatedly, with a pride that might mask defensiveness, that he does not read newspapers."
--"People with untreated ADHD can have difficulty functioning as members of a social group, because they find it hard to follow substantive discussion and social interaction. Finding it too hard to grasp thoughts coming from multiple directions, they often resort to telling jokes and disrupting the proceedings; they content themselves with being one of a group of fun-loving people, and avoid more serious interactions."
Another reviewer pointed to some of Bush's foibles as possibly being the result of cocaine or alcohol abuse. I would turn that around. It's well-known that many people with certain brain disorders "self-medicate" with substances; they are thought to be trying to calm the noise in their brains and find focus. In fact, adults with untreated ADHD suffer a higher risk of substance abuse, and these substances can stretch the gamut from overspending or overeating to excessively smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana, viewing porn, and even talking too much. Some even pursue sports in an extreme way (daredevil mountain-biking, for example) or perform other physical risk-taking activities.
Incredibly, some adults with untreated ADHD even self-medicate by initiating conflicts; the adrenaline quiets a too-noisy inner state and they feel eerily peaceful amid the tension.
Finally, it's ironic that the public sees only the risks to stimulant medications (which in fact are among the safest medications studied), not the risks from the alternatives. But the biggest risk comes from ignorance that ADHD is real, and it's considered even more impairing than disorders such as depression and anxiety.
Denial about ADHD is hurting us all - in our private lives and in our public lives.
Gina Pera
