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First of all, I love the ADHD Twitter community.
Social media definitely has its highs and lows, but I've found Twitter ADHDers to be a supportive bunch. The people I've met are diverse (neurologically or otherwise) which has opened me up to lots of virtual supportive communities.
No joke — there are a lot of us on Twitter. It’s like the official ADHDer hub.
The reasons for this could easily fill another blog post, but it’s thought that the instant gratification we get from using Twitter is akin to small dopamine pick-me-ups. So, when it came time for me to compile a list of the best nonfiction books for mental health conditions, it's no wonder Twitter was my first port of call.
Top non-fiction ADHD books
Unsurprisingly, the community didn't disappoint — I received lots of brilliant suggestions! Check them out below!
💡 Pro Tip from a Twitter ADHDer: If you struggle reading nonfiction, try using dyslexic font and white text on a Black background? — @deborahh
Driven to distraction: recognizing & coping with attention deficit disorder
"It includes useful guidance on virtually all elements of ADHD, from college and exercise to marriage and self-esteem. The chapters are short and accessible, and they've even included a summarized TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) for the whole book at the beginning for convenience. "It includes useful guidance on virtually all elements of ADHD, from college and exercise to marriage and self-esteem.
The chapters are short and accessible, and they've even included a summarized TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) for the whole book at the beginning for convenience."
My take: By a landslide, this was the most mentioned book. This book is more focused on children with ADHD. Nevertheless, many people mentioned how helpful it was in helping them understand more about ADHD.
Genre: Self-Help, Advice, Parenting
Ways to read: Paperback, Digital, Audiobook
Delivered from distraction: getting the most out of life with attention deficit disorder
![Number 2: Delivered from Distraction. Written by Dr. Edward Hallowell and Dr. John Ratey. Quote from @sophieoutloud on Twitter: "That one is hands down the most helpful resource I found when I was [diagnosed] that helped me understand what ADHD actually looks like."](/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,format=auto,width=null/https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/623a0044a408ef57d0c818a3/624581ca497b573231abd52e_delivered%20from%20distraction.jpg)
My take: Another one by Hallowell, but this time more so focused on adults and helping them live with ADHD. As well as being a comprehensive guide, it goes through a wide variety of treatment options, alternative therapies and medications.
Genre: Self-Help, Advice, Guide
Ways to read: Paperback, Digital, Audiobook
Laziness does not exist
My take: Written by social psychologist Dr. Devon Price, Laziness Does Not Exist is a conversational book that critiques the "laziness" attributed to those with ADHD and productivity culture in our late-stage capitalist world. They examine the Puritan origin of the "laziness lie" and give tangible advice on navigating societal pressures to do more consistently.
Genre: Self-Help, Advice, Guide
Ways to read: Paperback, digital and audiobook
Understanding ADHD in girls and women
My take: Written by various expert professionals, this book offers information to support women and girls with ADHD. It also provides clinicians tips on caring for this usually underrepresented group. Many personal experience excerpts seek to provide diverse documentation of different perspectives.
Genre: Essay collection (Self-Help, Advice, Guide)
Ways to read: Paperback, Digital, Audiobook
ADD-friendly ways to organize your life
![Number 5: ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life. Written by Judith Kolberg and Kathleen G. Nadeau. Quote from @sortmyspaceuk on Twitter: "[This book is] one of the top recommendations within the professional organizing community to best serve our clients!"](/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,format=auto,width=null/https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/623a0044a408ef57d0c818a3/624582f53a696e3c6e0932fa_add-friendly%20ways%20to%20organize%20your%20life.jpg)
My take: Decorated professional organizer Judith Kolberg and renowned ADHD clinical psychologist Dr. Kathleen Nadeau collaborate to create an offering with the best solutions for adults seeking to stay organized. It offers resources and three tiers of strategies and support.
Genre: Self-Help, Advice, Guide
Ways to read: Paperback, Digital, Audiobook
Better late than never: understand, survive and thrive midlife ADHD diagnosis
![Number 6: Better Late Than Never. Written by Emma Mahony and Sari Solden. Quote from @justasquarepeg on twitter: "[This book] really helped me in the lead up [process] to my ADHD assessment and diagnosis."](/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,format=auto,width=null/https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/623a0044a408ef57d0c818a3/62458359a55590434f2bc09c_better%20late%20than%20never.jpg)
My take: Diagnosed at the age of 52, Mahony seeks to reduce the stigma around late-adulthood diagnosis and provide support to those who have found themselves in a similar situation.
Genre: Self-Help Advice, Guide
Ways to read: Paperback, Digital
Scattered minds: the origins & healing of attention deficit disorder
![Number 7: Scattered Minds - The Origin and Healing of Attention Deficit Disorder. Written by Gabriel Mate. Quote from @nadiaosmn on Twitter: "[It's] is an essential read ... The author himself is an expert in childhood developmental trauma, addiction and ADHD, and having ADHD himself, his outlook is personal is very humanizing, empathetic and hopeful. It helped me contextualize and demystify the condition, understanding its inter-generational origins and biological manifestations and inspired me to implement changes to make life easier."](/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,format=auto,width=null/https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/623a0044a408ef57d0c818a3/624583b8391c3daee9ff3619_scattered%20minds.jpg)
My take: A physician who specializes in neurology, psychiatry and psychology who was diagnosed with ADD, Gabor Maté, argues that ADD is a "reversible impairment and developmental delay" that isn't genetically based. He offers a program to support and promote this development in children and adults.
Genre: Psychology, Self-Help
Ways to read: Paperback, Digital, Audiobook
The gifts of imperfection: let go of who you think you're supposed to be & embrace who you are
My take: This motivational guide seeks to help people improve their self-esteem and power up their personal development journey. With lots of original research and encouragement, Dr. Brown hopes to help people embrace a more authentic life.
Genre: Self-Help, Advice, Guide
Ways to read: Paperback, Digital, Audiobook
Finding true north
Publisher's Synopsis: Linda's memoir of her ongoing struggle with depression and anxiety offers a fascinating and insightful perspective as both patient and doctor, from her childhood, through her student days, her career, and retirement. Her new book delves into recovery as she relocates from Yorkshire to Orkney and reflects on a life of hard work, traumatic relationships, and travel, and offers raw honesty on her experiences with antidepressants and therapy. It is ultimately a book about healing and hope.
Genre: Memoir
Ways to read: Paperback, Digital
Hyper: a personal history of ADHD
![Number 10: Hyper - a personal history of ADHD. Quote from @complexical on Twitter: "I'm really enjoying [this] memoir about growing up with ADHD!](/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,format=auto,width=null/https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/623a0044a408ef57d0c818a3/6245857ce9a4059a66006478_hyper.jpg)
My take: Hyper is a memoir that delves into Denevi's experiences growing up as a child with ADHD. He reviews the history of ADHD diagnoses and explores how "we've come to medicate more than four million children today."
Many reviews celebrate Denevi's honesty and sincerity. For example, he discusses being among the first generation of boys prescribed medication for ADHD in the 1980s at the age of six, and the adverse reactions he suffered. Critics also applaud the style of his work, celebrating how for many, it's refreshing to see ADHD written about in a way that is less scholarly and more open.
Genre: Memoir
Ways to read: Paperback, Digital
Honorable mentions
The healthy mind toolkit: quit sabotaging your success and become your best self
Author: Alice Boyes
My take: Dr. Boyes blends cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques and research to provide readers with easy and practical solutions to reverse self-sabotaging behaviors. This toolkit is filled with quizzes and exercises to offer individuals a personalized journey into healthier habits.
Genre: Guide, Exercise Book
Ways to read: Paperback, Digital, Audiobook
BWRT: Reboot your life with Brain Working Recursive Therapy
Author: Terence Watts
Recommended by: PR team — Chenoa Parr at Chenoa Parr PR.
Their comments: A step-by-step guide based on his groundbreaking therapy BWRT, which is rooted in neuroscience to help tackle a range of challenges like anxiety, overcoming phobias and boosting self-worth. Terence created BWRT over 10 years ago, and it's helped thousands of people. It's currently undergoing trials as a faster, more permanent alternative therapy for PTSD. Until now, BWRT has only been available through trained therapists, but this book provides the same toolkit to unlock and use this powerful technique themselves.
Genre: Guide
Ways to read: Paperback, Digital
ADHD: an A to Z
Author: Leanne Maskell
Author's comments: I wrote this after being diagnosed with ADHD at age 25 and learning about the 7-year waiting list for assessments on the NHS — I definitely wouldn't have made it that long! It's deliberately in an A to Z format, so it can be read at any chapter and has exercises in each to help with strategies to understand and thrive with your own brain wiring. (Note: They also work as an ADHD coach now!)
Genre: Self-Help, Advice, Guide
Ways to read: Paperback, Digital
ADHD: a hunter in a farmer's world
Author: Thom Hartmann, Michael Popkin
My take: Thought to be an ADHD staple, this book argues that ADHD isn't a disorder, but rather a different type of mental processing that isn't compatible with today's society, i.e., "hunters in a farmer's world."
Genre: Self-Help, Advice, Guide
Ways to read: Paperback, Digital, Audiobook
Self-Compassion: The proven power of being kind to yourself
Author: Kristin Neff
My take: This book offers expert advice on limiting and reducing the adverse effects of self-criticism. It seeks to help folk reach their highest potential and live a more fulfilled life. There is a time for mourning what could have been, but there is also a time for caring for the person you are today.
Genre: Self-Help, Advice, Guide
Ways to read: Paperback, Digital, Audiobook
There is nothing wrong with you: going beyond self-hate
Author: Cheri Huber
My take: This book explores the origins of self-hate teaches individuals how to recognize it and how to go beyond it. It also illustrates how practicing meditation can help free people from self-hating beliefs.
Genre: Psychology, Guide, Self-Help
Ways to read: Paperback, Digital
You mean I'm not lazy, stupid or crazy?!: a self-help book for adults with attention deficit disorder
Authors: Kate Kelly, Peggy Ramundo
My take: While there's a lot of literature geared towards the experiences of children with ADHD, the experiences of adults have only recently begun to receive recognition. This book adds to the discourse and offers adults practical information about their ADD/ADHD diagnosis and moral support.
Genre: Self-Help, Advice, Guide
Ways to read: Paperback, Digital, Audiobook
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