by Russell Barkley · 2022
Practical, evidence-based strategies for executive dysfunction.
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Russell Barkley is the most-cited researcher in adult ADHD. He's also blunt — sometimes uncomfortably so — about what ADHD is and isn't, what does and doesn't help, and what the research actually shows about treatment.
This book is his guide for adults navigating ADHD day-to-day. The chapters on executive dysfunction (which Barkley sees as the core of ADHD, not the attention difficulties most people focus on) are the most useful single explanation we've seen of why ordinary "just try harder" advice fails for ADHD adults.
It's also one of the few books on adult ADHD that addresses medication squarely and helpfully — neither evangelising nor avoiding the topic.
A note. This is reading material, not clinical treatment. If you’re working through something difficult, books complement therapy — they don’t replace it. Book a session with our team for personalised support.
More books in adhd & neurodiversity (adults).
Edward Hallowell & John Ratey
From the world's most-cited ADHD researchers; updated with neuroscience on the Default Mode Network.
Sari Solden & Michelle Frank
The first major workbook for adult women with ADHD.
Edward Hallowell & John Ratey
The classic that first named adult ADHD for millions; still the best starting point for a newly diagnosed adult.
Thomas Brown
Explains why high-IQ adults can still be profoundly impaired by ADHD; validates the experience of late-diagnosed gifted adults.
Russell Barkley
Academic-but-accessible deep dive into ADHD as a disorder of self-regulation; recommended for clinicians and engaged clients.
Tracy Otsuka
Recent bestseller validating the under-diagnosed female ADHD experience with warmth and research-informed insight.
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