Despite the title, the author DOES conclude that ADHD exists. He just decides to call it NDI (Neurochemical Distractibility/Impulsivity); a term he invented and nobody else uses. This admission is buried in Chapter 17, right around the place in the book I was ready to call it quits on the whole thing and stop reading. That fact annoys me even more. You see, I have been recently diagnosed with ADHD, the inattentiveness kind. I'm 40 years old and even though the diagnosis is a relief because it seems to explain most of my life, as a smart individual with a high IQ, I was a little skeptical. That is, until I read this book!
As background, I have a graduate degree from MIT in Brain and Cognitive Sciences (Course 9, for my MIT peeps). I also went to law school and have been a lawyer now for about 15 years. Despite what others call an impressive resume, I have felt like a fraud most of my adult life. I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety in my early twenties and have been treated with antidepressants and cognitive behavioral therapy for most of my adult life. IT DID NOT WORK. CBT helped, yes. And the antidepressants took the edge off so I could at least fool everyone into thinking I was well-adjusted and doing well. Inside, I was always afraid I would be find out as a fraud. Why? Because even though my papers in college, my briefs in law school, my presentations and arguments were always great and a lot of times, excellent, they were always done the night before or at the very last minute. No matter how hard I tried, I could not sit down and start before then. And I tried, very hard. In college, professors praised the analysis and criticized the carelessness in the grammatical details or presentation. In life, those careless mistakes were dismissed as symptoms of a busy case load... but I knew better and I was terrified of being discovered as the fraud I was.
The first 16 chapters of this book (and the last 4) did not apply to me. At all. I was actually screened for a lot of those conditions in my twenties (including epilepsy) and treated for depression and anxiety. In addition, MIT should've 'cured' the giftedness condition the author mentions in this book. I had all the challenge I could manage there and then some! Nothing worked.
After reading chapter 17, I'm pretty certain the author would agree with my psychiatrist that I have 'NDI' as he chooses to call ADHD... And just like my psychiatrist, he would probably prescribe stimulants. I have tried several already and have seen an improvement in symptoms. We're still trying to find the right dose/medication. Because I went undiagnosed for so long, medications will not be the cure-all I had hoped after a lifetime of struggling. My psychiatrist also prescribed CBT with an emphasis on dealing with ADHD. And that's where I am right now.
This book is a waste of time. Instead of a book meant for the general public, the author would have served his patients better by publishing this information is a medical journal or magazine aimed at his peers. This book basically addresses how ADHD can be misdiagnosed and cautions doctors not to consider ADHD as the only cause when a simpler or better understood condition will explain all symptoms and serve the patient better. And for that, the author gets one star. Because even he admits that ADHD DOES EXIST.
A better title would be 'ADHD Misdiagnosis: How doctors can best evaluate patients displaying distractibility/impulsivity.' But, of course, that would not have sold as many books as a misleading title that plays into the perceived controversy surrounding ADHD would...
Do NOT buy this book. If you're curious, borrow it from your library, but be warned that you will waste your precious attention span on empty reading.
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