Book Review: ADHD 2.0
In a revolutionary new book, two doctors describe the surprising upsides of ADHD
If you’re reading this article, you probably (a) have ADHD or (b) know someone who has ADHD. If so, you’re in for some good news. (As long as you can read to the end, that is…)
I recently had the chance to read an advance copy of ADHD 2.0. Often when I get such copies, I quickly skim the first few pages before realizing that the book isn’t for me. When I received ADHD 2.0, however, I read it in a single sitting.
The first reason the book interested me was that the authors are clearly credible. Both (a) have ADHD and (b) are perhaps the most knowledgeable subject-matter experts in the field. (Two decades ago, they literally introduced ADHD to the reading public.)
The second and more important reason I couldn’t put the book down, however, was its fascinating discussion of ADHD’s upsides, and its insistence that ADHD isn’t so much a disease as a “variable attention trait.” As the authors write:
ADHD is a far richer, more complicated, paradoxical, dangerous, but also potentially advantageous state of being than the oversimplified version most of the general public takes it to be or than even the detailed diagnostic criteria would have you believe. “ADHD” is a term that describes a way of being in the world. It is neither entirely a disorder nor entirely an asset. It is an array of traits specific to a unique kind of mind. It can become a distinct advantage or an abiding curse, depending on how a person manages it.
A useful metaphor they use to describe the ADHD brain is that of a Ferrari with bicycle breaks. If you have ADHD, your mind is racing — constantly. (This is why boredom is your kryptonite.) The trick is to train your breaks so that your Ferrari-brain works for instead of against you.
“Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
Given that everyone from Leonardo da Vinci to Albert Einstein may have had ADHD, framing ADHD as a trait instead of a disease makes intuitive sense. Interestingly, some studies suggest that ADHD is actually adaptive in hunter-gatherer societies; it only becomes maladaptive in settled cultures, where work consists of the ability to sit in one place for a long time staring at one screen (or two or three screens) for an even longer time.
The doctors do not deny that ADHD can cause problems; we do, after all, live in an industrialized society. But their focus on ADHD’s upsides struck me as novel. With ADHD (as with so much in life), the obstacle can become the way.
What are these upsides, you ask? Read on. (You can do it!)
Put simply, the science suggests that positive traits often correlated with ADHD include: (1) heightened openness; (2) the ability to get a lot done in a small amount of time, or to “hyperfocus” on interesting tasks; (3) idealism; (4) a faster-than-average mind; (5) greater-than-average creativity; and (6) the ability to thrive in highly stimulating environments.
Unfortunately, all of these upsides can become downsides in certain environments. For example, people with ADHD traits may thrive in highly stimulating environments or when completing tasks they’re passionate about, but — when it comes to getting their taxes or other paperwork done — they’re paralyzed. Someone with ADHD who loves reading fiction might tear through War and Peace in two days, while taking two months to finish one or two pages of routine paperwork.
The authors include several strategies to get the best out of your unique brain, with its heightened capacity for lateral or novel thinking, while also retaining the capacity to do your taxes in a timely manner. The pragmatic advice alone makes it essential reading for anyone struggling to manage the condition.
You did it! You made it to the end. If you have ADHD and are interested in learning more about the condition and — therefore — yourself, I highly recommend you give ADHD 2.0 a read. You might also benefit from reading up on the Pomodoro Method.
Good luck!
Michael Elias Shammas is a writer, lawyer, and (hopeful) academic. Feel free to follow him on Twitter.
