Delivered from Distraction: Getting the Most out of Life with Attention Deficit Disorder (Hardcover)

by Edward M. Hallowell (Author), John J. Ratey (Author) "Most people who have ADD don't read books all the way through..." (more)
Key Phrases: toxic worry, cerebellar stimulation, promotes talents, John Ratey, United States, Brain Gym (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Medication? Maybe. Marry the right person and find the right job? A must if you are an adult suffering from ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). So say psychiatrists Edward M. Hallowell and John J. Ratey, authors of the influential Driven to Distraction, published in 1994. In their new book, Delivered from Distraction, Hallowell and Ratey survey the current medical landscape concerning ADD, combining their own clinical observations with the latest research to paint a much more complex and, in many ways, positive picture of the condition than has generally been presented.

Hallowell and Ratey embrace the idea that success in life comes more from playing to your strengths than overcoming your weaknesses. In the case of a person with ADD (child or adult), these strengths often include unusually high levels of creativity, charisma, intelligence, and energy. The authors insist that, while medication and other treatments can sometimes work wonders in reducing limitations, surrounding yourself with people who promote these positive traits, be they in your personal or professional life, is the single most important element to living well with ADD. As both Hallowell and Ratey are not only experts in the field, but "ADDers" themselves, the tips and stories they share for how to do so are fresh, funny, and far more helpful than tired arguments over drugs verse no drugs or whether there’s even such a thing as ADD at all.--Patrick Jennings

From Publishers Weekly
This follow-up to the authors' 1994 manual, Driven to Distraction, has the advantage of personal testimony regarding adult Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)—the authors themselves have ADD—as well a very readable presentation of the latest research in the field. Defining ADD as a collection of traits, some positive, some negative, the authors intend to encourage those who have this condition or are raising children with it and advise on how to maximize their abilities and minimize characteristics, such as procrastination, that may hinder them at school or work. In a comprehensive overview, Hallowell and Ratey provide a new screening questionnaire for adults and list methods that physicians, parents and educators can use to diagnose and treat the ADD child. Of primary importance to readers are the recommended steps for living a satisfying life with ADD; these include developing personal relationships and engaging in creative activities that will foster self-esteem. The authors also separate nutrition fads from what is known about how diet can affect brain functioning and discuss whether to take medication. Overall, this is an excellent resource.
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1 edition (January 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 034544230X
• ISBN-13: 978-0345442307
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (82 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #21,139 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delivered from Distracton Delivers!, December 2, 2006

By	Janie Bowman - See all my reviews

This review is from: Delivered from Distraction: Getting the Most out of Life with Attention Deficit Disorder (Paperback)

In 1994, Hallowell and Ratey published Driven to Distraction to rave reviews. Now, Delivered from Distraction hits the bookstores to similar accolades. The message of hope and celebrating your strengths is the same, the tone of empowerment is the same. What's changed? The very latest in the world of attention differences, including current research in lifestyle changes, supplements, medication, and testing. Unlike D2D, Dr. Hallowell wrote the book, but the project was shared with Dr. Ratey. Like Driven to Distraction, the book is sprinkled with observations taken from the pages of Hallowell's practice. This book is comprehensive and renovated extensively from Driven to Distraction.

The ADD field has grown more complex and saturated with "Do this or do that," - "Try this, try that." In four parts, Delivered from Distraction provides a foundation from which to discuss the ADD phenomenon: (1) What's It Like to Have ADD? (2) Three Stories that Tell the Story (3) Making the Diagnosis of ADD (4) Mastering the Power and Avoiding the Pitfalls: The Treatment of ADD.

There's a lot to digest in Delivered. The chapters I found fascinating were "ADD Self-Assessment Quizzes for Adults," "An evil, an Illness, or a Kind of Mind?," "The qEEG and SPECT scan" "Conditions that Coexist with ADD," "Bipolar or ADD?" "Genetics," "Are We Training our Children to have ADD?" "The Treatment of ADD: What Works Best," and "ADD in Families." That's almost the whole book...

By far, I was fascinated by the chapter on Omega-3 Fatty Acids and its relationship to inflammation and ADD. Dr. Hallowell and Barry Sears of the Zone Diet have teamed up for a study at Hallowell's center in Sudbury, Massachusetts. Does Omega 3 help people with ADD? A few people I know who take Omega 3 have positive experience with this supplement, so I was excited to find that there is a study in the works.

Delivered from Distraction is far from ordinary and my interest grew from page to page. It's an easy read, either from front to back or specific chapters of your choice. Perfect for those with wandering, creative minds. And written with a humorous streak at times, too. Definitely not boring.

Final thoughts: This book is comprehensive and updated extensively from Driven to Distraction. Bottom line? Delivered From Distraction delivers.

418 of 473 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great if you are an ADD newbie; new info for "old timers", January 6, 2005

By	JackOfMostTrades "Jack" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

Delivered from Distraction is a fine read (stylistically) and an excellent guidebook for someone who is professionally and accurately diagnosed with ADD, or for those who would like to know what having ADD feels like and the types of behaviors people with ADD are prone to exhibit. This could be of particular benefit to mental health professionals who work with people with ADD. And for those who think ADD is a pseudo-disorder or a political ploy (I'm not one of them), maybe this book will change your mind. Although as Dr. Hallowell reminds us, if such skeptics could walk around for a day with the symptoms of ADD, most would quickly change their minds, and would most likely reverse their stance on the idea that it is some sort of social construct. I myself recall the first time I took Ritalin. I was so overwhelmed by the relief it brought me, I almost began to cry. Overall, if you have read Driven to Distraction by the same author "team" published in 1994, you'll find a lot that sounds familiar, but also much about some new treatments--some "official," some experimental. These include new brain imaging diagnostic procedures, some very strange but interesting stuff about cerebellum stimulation (you have to read it carefully to understand it! (Wait till you see some of the theory behind it and what you actually do during the treatments!!); more specific nutritional advice, new medications (like Strattera, which I have tried but didn't find too helpful--which I'll attribute to the "different strokes for different folks" philosophy, and some really nice touches when Dr. Hallowell relates personal anecdotes about himself and family members with ADD.

This book has much personal reflection on the subject, which adds a friendly touch since one can get a sense of the writers as people, not merely authorities. If you are familiar with the many books on ADD that suggest strategies for living, ordering one's life, conscious awareness of one's proclivities, this book covers some of the same ground but in a more literary and empathetic way (maybe because Dr. Hallowell was an English major in college). It also does so in a way that makes a lot of sense and seems derived from the authors' experience and motivated by a true desire to help others.

The authors also include some new and fascinating "case studies" of people who used their ADD state of mind to their advantage and became highly successful (see in particular the story of the founder of JetBlue). These "success stories" are not so much pep talks (I wouldn't want to run an airline even if I could), but explanations of how one can use one's "disorder." Nevertheless, one shouldn't judge a group by an individual--which can, unfortunately lead to guilt should a reader not be a 'success' in the way the authors define one. However, I found it quite brave that individuals in the public eye, so to speak, are not afraid to speak about their ADD. (I've read in another source, the story of the founder of Kinko's. Who would think someone with ADD would create a company worth 2.5 billion whose major appeal is precision, meeting deadlines, and coordination?!) This is not meant to imply that the authors have a pie in the sky philosophy of "aren't I lucky I have ADD since it enriches my life." The book stresses the fact that regardless of how well you develop strategies to "work with" your special cognitive style, there will be days when things just don't seem to be working--times when all the strategies in the world don't seem to help. But, as the book points out, the important thing is not to beat oneself up about it.

As someone who is a writer, I related to this propensity at self-criticism. I can be very focused one day; however, on another day, my mind will just be so scattered I can't even type a sentence fragment. Everyone has bad days, and given the proclivity of many ADD people to feel dissatisfied with their progress in life (i.e., goals, behaviors, personal identity, etc.,) one should not expect some magic cure-all for one's condition. The authors imply that there will be breakthroughs in treatment but don't expect any "magic bullet" any time soon(that's a horrible metaphor--sorry!). But with that in mind, the authors still maintain an upbeat, positive outlook, and provide a well-considered, thoughtful holistic program to find personal and interpersonal success in one's daily life and in one's journey through life.

I particularly liked the five-step method (graphically illustrated as a circle or flywheel) of developing a positive view and a positive lifestyle to find what the author calls "lasting joy." I found it so simple and impressive, in fact, I plan to copy the diagram and put it on my refrigerator. While I might not have used this somewht idealistic DEScription of the PREscription, it is a very common sense approach with profound possibilities of changing both the way an ADD person can successfully address the issues of everyday living and develop a philosophy of life that helps one develop a more secure "ground of being" (to paraphrase Paul Tillich). It has often been remarked that people with ADD are particularly sensitive, and this trait is apparent in the tone of the book. For example, one chapter begins, "Let me tell you an amazing story about my son Jack." The author then proceeds to tell this story, and it reveals the author's deep sensitivity and thoughtfulness, and his desire to share personal experience--in a sincere, heartfelt way without any arrogance or showing off. Here is an (incomplete) list of certain tenets:

find a compatable, understanding life partner (although why that advice should be different for people without ADD is beyond me);

find suitable work that appeals to the ADD personality (high stimulation, non-sendentary, one that requires creative, outside the box thinking, low levels of supervision, etc., (although again, shouldn't everyone try to find a job that suits his/her personality and traits?);

eat a balanced diet and exercise regularly (nothing like pumping up those neurotransmitters naturally, although again, this is good commonsense for just about everyone);

be aware of and develop strategies to combat one's proneness to addictive behaviors (alcohol, illicit drugs, gambling, sex..hmmm...wait a second, I have to reconsider that last item!);

use human or technological aids to help order your universe (a good accountant, a good daily planner, professional "coach" if you can afford one (I had about 4 sessions with one, and I think that was just about enough), electronic timers, etc.);

learn cognitive "tricks" to stop ADD-type impulsive actions (like showing your impatience, blurting out what's on your mind, etc). During a "business meeting," I once started doing an imitation of Marlon Brando as "The Godfather." I swear the display was completely appropriate in getting my point across but it sort of got lost on the rest of the people. Of great importance, consider that medication should almost always be considered as one part of the "happy with an ADD mind" equation--assuming all the other building blocks are in place;

follow a holistic approach to your situation, and get rid of one-track mind thinking regarding "a cure";

Check out some of the new research and methods that have cropped up in the past 10 years or so.

There's lots more but it certainly can't fit in here

If you haven't read other books on the subject, read this one, then maybe an ADD friendly organization book; see a competent psychiatrist who has expertise in treating ADD,and be assertive regarding what works, what doesn't work, and even the possibility that no medication will work: regardless, don't go the medication route as though it will provide the answer to your problems. When you find you've adapted a way of being that works for you, get on with your life, and monitor yourself every so often--but not obsessively. BECAUSE, if you do have ADD, and you are compulsive, you are likely to spend far too much time reading every book there is on the subject. So unless you plan to make a career of it, read this one, augment it with a good book on organizational skills designed for people with ADD, and get on with your life. And if you do have ADD, from one comrade to another, have the best life you can! And something that works for me, is "Don't have hope; have faith." It will keep you more motivated.

Finally, if confronted by someone who still claims that ADD is a hoax, conspiracy, attempt to disempower minority populations, a drug company invention to garner profits (and I've read about every anti-ADD argument in 'the book', my advice is to converse with them as follows: from as far away as possible.

95 of 104 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gift to AD/HDers, March 15, 2005

By	Kristi in Rochester "Kristi" (Rochester, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Delivered from Distraction: Getting the Most out of Life with Attention Deficit Disorder (Audio CD)

Dr. Hallowell has given us a GIFT in this optimistic, realistic, encouraging book. Yes, there is a dark side to ADD (prison, alcoholism, unemployment...) but it's about time we heard about the strengths - intuition, creativity, the ability to connect with others, and the kind of risk-taking that changes lives for the better. Thank you, thank, thank you.

If you'd like the unabridged version, it's available from Audible.com, and the reader, Dan Cashman, is superb. The same abridged version read by Dr. Hallowell is also available.