Books on ADD
There are a number of books that are helpful for people with Attention Deficit Disorder. Listed below are some titles that you may find useful in understanding the condition. Many people with untreated ADD have trouble concentrating on books for long enough to finish them. If this is your experience, you may get more out of these books by browsing through them, finding topics that interest you, then putting the book down when you lose interest. If you leave the book where you can see it, you may pick it up later and browse some more.
ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life by Judith Kolberg & Kathleen Nadeau, Ph.D. Identifies specific ways in which ADD people have trouble staying organized and how to get around them.
What Does Everybody Else Know That I Don’t? by Michele Novotni, Ph.D. with Randy Petersen. Addresses the difficulties that ADD people can have in social situations.
You Mean I’m Not Lazy, Crazy or Stupid? by Kate Kelly & Peggy Ramundo. Explains how behaviors that lead ADD people into trouble can be understood in the context of ADD rather than as character flaws.
Driven to Distraction by Edward M. Hallowell, John J. Ratey. Good overview of ADD.
Attention Deficit Disorder in Adults by Lynn Weiss. This book also provides an excellent overview. The author does a good job of redefining the ADD mind. She sees ADD not as a deficit, but a different way of thinking altogether, one that is potentially more creative. Weiss has discussed in some other books how ADD can be understood as the difficult interface between creative ways of thinking and our linear, not-so-creative society. However, she remains practical in recognizing that ADD people do have to function in society and gives good advice on how to navigate the struggles inherent in that effort.
The New Attention Deficit Disorder in Adults Workbook by Lynn Weiss. User-friendly skills manual for adults with ADD.
Most of these should be available at local bookstores. In New York City the Barnes and Noble in the Flatiron District [map] specializes in medical texts and has many good books on Attention Deficit Disorder. They can also be ordered online from Amazon or other internet booksellers.
[About Nicholas Schwartz, M.D.]
