ADHD IN ADULTS: A Psychological Guide to PracticeBy Susan Young and Jessica Bramham
Book Review by K Xenitidis, P Asherson

ADHD in Adults: A Psychological Guide to Practice £24.99 published  by Wiley Books  2007

Symptoms of ADHD affect many people, with the majority of children with ADHD going on to have persistent problems as adults.  Recent research suggests that around 15% of children with ADHD retain the full diagnosis  into adulthood and around 65% have persistence of some symptoms associated with significant difficulties in academic, work, inter-personal and emotional aspects of life.   Furthermore, the problems associated with ADHD are persistent, in the sense that they affect people with ADHD every day.  This means that people with ADHD need to develop many different strategies to enable them to cope and function well in different situations and tasks, but can also generate symptoms that many people with ADHD find distressing.  This can include, for example, difficulties with mood regulation (moods go up and down all the time), restlessness and over activity (feeling on the go all the time, ceaseless and unfocused thought processes and exhaustion) and feelings of impatience and  frustration.

Medication is one approach that can reduce these symptoms, yet taking medication alone is only rarely sufficient for most people. Medication can help  to control  but rarely ‘removes’ all the difficulties associated with ADHD, and there is therefore a great need for additional  support and advice from people who understand the problems that people with ADHD face.

The main emphasis of the book is a client-centred approach based on a bio-psychological model.  It is a unique guide that describes how psychological thinking and treatment that builds on scientific advances can help adults with ADHD.  The chapter headings indicate that this book is about treating major domains of ADHD in a systematic way with separate sections on core symptoms such as inattention and memory problems, time management, problem solving and impulsivity; as well as co-existing problems such as social relationships, anxiety, frustration and anger, mood problems, sleep problems and substance abuse.  The book manages to be a comprehensive guide to psychological practice and enables individuals to focus on one problem area at the time in a modular way.  It starts by providing a very informative introduction into adult ADHD, the concept, the assessment and therapeutic approaches available.  After introduction the main body of the text is dedicated to the therapeutic approaches for the core symptoms followed by associated problems.  People with ADHD would recognise clearly difficulties, anxiety, depression, addiction and mood swings.

Finally the authors conclude with an appropriately optimistic ‘Preparing for the future’ chapter.  A vigorous scientific approach is adopted throughout and assisted by generous bibliographic references that accompany the text.  The format of the book and the companion website are explained and the possible ways of using the book are present.  Numerous figures and tables are used throughout the text to effectively illustrate the key clinical points.

Overall this is an excellent book from UK clinicians that effectively combines the best of modern psychological practice with a rigorous scientific approach.  The book is a valuable and unique guide that should be read by all those in adult mental health working with people with ADHD as well as by those in related areas such as addiction sciences, forensic psychiatry and learning disability.  The book will also be an invaluable guide to individuals with ADHD their families, friends and employers.