Hello and welcome to my redesigned blog. I hope you like the new design! The new design is so fresh that there are still some bugs being worked out, if you notice any, please let me know. Special thanks to Jorge over at Thesisorange.com for the design!
For the relaunch of my blog I asked Dr. Edward Hallowell if he would answer a few (well, more than a few) questions in an exclusive interview. I am honored to provide you with his answers. Did you know he has a new book coming out or what he was asked would fall off when taking Ritalin? You’re about to discover those answers in a moment!
I am not sure that there is anyone in the ADD / ADHD community who is not familiar with who Dr. Edward (Ned) Hallowell is. But just in case:
He is one of the world’s foremost experts on ADHD. The Co-author of Driven to Distraction, one of the most important, groundbreaking books ever published concerning Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, which finally helped explain so many things to so many people and it helped to start lifting the stigma. Driven to Distraction and the further efforts of Dr. Hallowell are a significant reason why many of us talk openly about ADHD today.
Dr. Hallowell is also the author of 17 other books on mental health and the Director of the Hallowell Centers in Sudbury, MA and New York City. He was a member of the faculty of the Harvard Medical School from 1983 to 2004 until he retired to devote his full professional attention to his clinical practice, lectures, and writing books.
He’s one of a kind and he’s a very special part of our community.
Interview with Dr. Edward Hallowell
(Rather than repeat our names, Dr. Hallowell’s answers are in the large quotes and my questions are in bold.)
Q: Can people with ADHD lead successful lives and thrive?
Indeed they can! I often say that having ADHD is like having a Ferrari engine with bicycle brakes. With no brakes, a Ferrari is dangerous. But with brakes, it wins races and becomes a champion. There are Nobel Prize winners, Pulitzer Prize winners, Academy Award winners, Emmy Award Winners, doctors, CEO’s, millionaires and billionaires, highly successful entrepreneurs, professional athletes, writers, actors, and many more hugely happy and successful people who have ADHD. The key is to get the diagnosis and get the right kind of help.
Q: Can people with ADHD develop good habits?
Absolutely, people with ADHD can develop good habits! With proper coaching, training, and therapy—and sometimes just by the seat of their pants—people with ADHD can develop the habits of discipline, structure, and consistency that will ensure their success.
Q: If so, what would be the most important trait/habit?
Above all, people with ADHD need to have hope. I often say, “I don’t treat disabilities, I help people unwrap their gifts.” A realistically positive attitude provides the motivation to do all the hard work someone with ADHD must do to strengthen their brakes and excel.
Q: About attitude, how much of an effect does attitude and mental perspective have?
Attitude makes all the difference in the world. Dr. Martin Seligman, Professor of Psychology at U. of Pennsylvania, author of numerous scholarly articles as well as popular books, and leader of the positive psychology movement, has proven beyond doubt that positive attitudes—like optimism, grit, a growth mindset, and a never-say-die approach spell the difference not only between success and failure but also between happiness and frustration.
Dr. Seligman’s associate, Dr. Angela Duckworth, has done the definitive work on grit, while Dr. Carol Dweck of Stanford has spent her entire career proving the astonishing value of a growth mindset, a mindset that says I can learn the skills I need to do whatever I want to do, versus the fixed mindset that says, I am limited in what I can achieve by my I.Q., social standing, looks, and other fixed qualities I cannot control. And finally, my own work over the past 30 years, has shown that above all, finding a realistically positive attitude makes all the difference in the world.
How to do it? The magic ingredient is connection, connection with a mentor, parent, grandparent, teacher, tutor, doctor, coach—anyone!—who believes in you and is there for you, over the years, challenging you, coaching you, urging you on, no matter what. People who get that, those are the people who achieve their dreams, and more.
Q: Do you believe mental conditioning, such as the type competitive athletes go through, could help someone with ADHD?
By all means. Visualization and the other techniques sports psychologists have developed can help people of all ages who have ADHD. It is all a matter of using your mind to help you, rather than allowing the negative voices in your mind tie you up in knots. This is not to say the negative voices can’t be helpful. If you never worry, that’s dangerous. We call it denial. But what you DO with your worry is key. You need to turn it into constructive action. You do this best by worrying with someone, with an expert or an associate who’s on your side. Never worry alone!!!
Q: Is it possible for someone with ADHD to unintentionally prevent themselves from improving or thriving, aside from the symptoms of ADHD directly?
Yes, indeed! By marrying the wrong person or taking on the wrong job, for example. Those are two of the leading ways in which people with ADHD—and people in general, for that matter—prevent themselves from thriving.
Q: Do you believe positive thinking can positively influence one’s ability to cope with ADHD?
Not only do I believe it, it is a proven fact. Seligman’s work is definitive. Seligman is nothing if not a careful scientist, and his work on learned optimism and his book by the same title, proves the case. Optimism improves not only results but also levels of satisfaction.
Q: My personal favorite book of yours is Worry. How much of a problem can worrying be for people with ADHD and what’s your most important recommendation for someone who suffers from this issue?
Worrying can be a big problem for people with ADHD for two reasons. First, disorganization can cause many problems worth worrying about! Second, and more insidious, worry itself is riveting. It provides focus, which people with ADHD are always looking for. Contentment is too bland. You don’t say, “He was riveted in contentment,” but you do say, “He was riveted in worry.”
People with ADHD are thus drawn to worry, painful as it is, as a means of finding focus. — The best way to deal with it is to get treatment. Get a coach, a therapist, get exercise and sleep, learn to meditate, eat the right food. All of these are tonics for the brain and will reduce anxiety. Sometimes medication helps as well. — Finally, follow my cardinal rule: Never worry alone.
Q: What’s the most important advice you give someone with ADHD who wants to improve and overcome, but seems stuck regardless of what they have already tried?
Don’t give up! But don’t try the same failed remedy over and over again. Get a second opinion. See a new doctor, read a new book, try a new technique. It can be difficult to unwrap the gifts embedded in ADHD and can take time, but persist. The rewards can be great.
Q: A new study suggests that ADHD may enhance creativity. What’s your take on this possibility?
ADHD doesn’t enhance creativity, but people with ADHD tend to be more creative than the average person. The trick is to turn all those ideas into something useful.
Q: What are your thoughts about the gift vs curse debate?
Russ Barkley and I settled that debate when we spoke together at CHADD last year. We both agreed that ADHD can be a curse or a gift, depending upon how a person deals with it.
Q: What’s the most frequent question adults with ADHD ask you?
How I have managed my own ADHD. Marry the right person, find the right job.
Q: What’s the most frequent question parents of children with ADHD ask you?
Is there any hope for my child. And the answer is a resounding YES. With the right help, that child is a champion in the making.
Q: What’s the funniest question you’ve ever been asked?
If Ritalin makes your penis fall off.
(OMG!)
Q: Do you have any new books or projects coming soon?
I just completed a book for the Harvard Business School Press called:
HOCUS FOCUS: HOW TO MINE THE MAGIC OF MENTAL CLARITY
Thank you very much for your time Dr. Hallowell. I know my readers will appreciate your answers, as I do. – Readers, please feel free to comment about the interview and let us know which was your favorite question and answer!
*In light of recent events, Joan and I would like to send out our thoughts and prayers to the victims and the families affected by the tragic shooting in Colorado.
~Bryan
Stay tuned, my next post will be a NEW FREE eBook “Good Enough – Stop Seeking Perfection and Approval”.
Be sure to subscribe to my blog, join the ADHD social network or like my page on facebook for future updates. You can do all of these things on the right-hand side of this page in the sidebar.
{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
I have experienced good results using biofeedback for this condition…
Me too! I’ve done 25 session of neurofeedback; it has help me to deal with my emotionnal issue and i have the feeling I am calmer and more focused. It’s Not easy To tell all the benefits and positive changing-need a 1 or 2 month to really realise all the differences in me since I’ve done this training;
When did you do That?
Good interview Bryan by the way!
Where do you go to learn biofeedback?
Hey Bryan –
Congrats on the interview and new design – you rock ! When I get my show online I’m hoping you’ll be one of the first guests
Keep up the good work !
Ohad
Thanks, Ohad! I’d be delighted. I also recieved your email, so I’ll respond to that shortly.
Bests,
Bryan
Excellent! Both the new design and the interview:)
Love Doc Hallowell…he always makes the most sense to me:)
Thank you, glad you like both the design and interview!!
Oops, BTW I forgot to say I’ve reposted this piece to my blog:)
Great interview, Bryan! I like your emphasis on positive thinking. I read your memoir this last week and was profoundly touched by your story. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Dan! I hope my memoir helps in some small way, it always means a lot to me to hear from those who have read it.
Bryan
I appreciated the question/answer about the person who remains stuck regardless of what they’ve tried. This is me. The meds aren’t working like they once did, and no matter what I try, I’m just spinning my wheels and am very discouraged. Sometimes I wish I’d never experienced the improvement I saw the first 7 months or so after starting treatment, because as hard as I try, I can’t get it back. I’m single, don’t have a ton of friends, and none of them want to, nor can, commit to coaching/mentoring ME, because they’re already “taken” OR they have their own health issues or other problems to deal with. I don’t know where to go from here. If I could find another physician in town– one with a good reputation, I’d go that route, but I’ve Googled til my fingers have fallen off, and I can’t find one. Thankfully, at the moment I’m recovering from an injury and am house-bound, so feeling or being useless and spinning my wheels is actually convenient, if you know what I mean.
I’m a naturally optimistic person; otherwise I wouldn’t have made it this far with ADHD (I’m in my 50s) nor remained hopeful. (IF you can call this “hopeful”!) When I run out of hope, it’s always back the next day– that’s what I mean by being naturally optimistic; it’s just how my personality is. But I’m wondering if I’m mistaking hope & optimism for gullibility… or insanity. Ha!
My least favorite answer from Dr. Hallowell has to do with “the leading ways in which people with ADHD—and people in general, for that matter—prevent themselves from thriving.” It’s all well and good to say “the best solution is to marry the right person and find the right job” IF YOU HAVE A MAGIC WAND, OR, it’s already happened for you and you’ve been extremely fortunate. Finding (and GETTING) the “right job” and the “right partner” is mostly a matter of good fortune. People, whether young and inexperienced, nor old and “stuck,” rarely are given a game plan– or even some helpful guidance– for getting those two things, and the older you are, the harder it is to make any adjustments to the status quo. I can see Dr. H. looking back and being able to say this; but if he had neither one already, I wonder if he could make either one happen by sheer planning or will. In other words, it’s easy to say from where he’s sitting.
I’ve found some good advice in Dr. H.’s books, but that one borders on funny.
Skyblue!
I really don’t think Dr. Hallowell was implying that either of those things is easy, just that they are important and make a huge difference. I can’t speak for him, of course.
Speaking from my own experience I had a very difficult time ‘finding’ the right person and I didn’t know ‘who’ she should be or ‘how’ she should be, but when she showed up things fell into place. My first marriage ended in divorce. She was a very nice, wonderful woman, but we were not compatible in the long run. I think when you’re with someone that is always correcting, lecturing and finding fault then you’re with the wrong person and I don’t think it helps to say “It’s the ADHD.”
With the right person it’s an equal relationship, no one is looking for blame or fault, simply solutions that work. When you’re with the wrong person there can be severe cases of anger, blame and denial, but with the right person those things are not the major issues because there are always work arounds if two people are looking for them together. And well, some people never find the right person whether they have ADHD or not. But back to the answer, I have to agree that even though it is not easy to find the right person or the right job, and sometimes very difficult, it still stands to reason that with both of those things life is better.
I will say that with the wrong person and the wrong job, my life wasn’t as enjoyable and my symptoms were far more obvious and problematic. It didn’t take a magic wand to correct those things, but rather admitting them and trying to ‘purposely’ correct them. Therapy helped me a great deal. If you would like the full details, please give my memoir a read, I tell the story of my wrong job and wrong relationship and then finding the ‘right’ relationship for me. Sometimes we hold ourselves back. Or, at least I did.
Just my thoughts and you might enjoy reading an interview I did about relationships: http://www.adderworld.com/blog1/2009/12/31/interview-relationships-and-2010-another-new-year/
Bests,
Bryan
Fantastic interview…!!!! easy to understand.. direct… full of hope….direct answers…
the question Is it possible for someone with ADHD to unintentionally prevent themselves from improving or thriving, aside from the symptoms of ADHD directly?
Yes, indeed! By marrying the wrong person or taking on the wrong job, for example.
Good answer but…. how to know if I a non ADDer could be the right person for an ADDer…?… mmmm to be or not to be….
Thanks, Vivian, I am glad you enjoyed the interview! Right person, wrong person, it’s all about connection. Easy to say, not easy to alwasy find. Maybe my answer to Skyblue will shed some light on my thoughts about this. I think it is a good answer, to the point and although it doesn’t provide all the answers it states a simple truth.
But, what we need more of is: Hope! Indeed, that’s the true value of Dr. Hallowell’s answers in my opinion.
Bests,
Bryan
Bryan,
First, congratulations on the new design. Yes, it is very fresh and light. Second, on the interview. This is a great one. I am so glad that he would take the time for it. It feels like he speaks to us directly because this interview is specifically for ADDer World. Thank you so much!
Riri
Great, Riri! And so good to hear from you after such a long time. I hope things are going well, or at leaset have improved? You sound happy!
Bests,
Bryan
Bryan, I hope you responded to skyblue. I hear a lot of pain and frustration in that comment. I, too, am in my fifties and have what I suspect is undiagnosed ADD (and I’m female). I do hope you sent a private message to him or her, but also it might be helpful to a lot of us if you’d post something publicly, because I think skyblue articulated very vividly some things that are on a lot of our minds. Thanks! I look forward to reading your memoir; I just learned about you today, and it’s exciting to have a new lead.
Hello, hummingbirdmind, I look forward to responding to all of the comments when I get to my computer this evening. Obviously I can’t speak for Dr. Hallowell but I do have some thoughts on the topic.
Bests,
Bryan
Bryan,
The interview with Dr. Hallowell is excellent! Thank you for conducting it and then posting it here for all of us to read. Also, I very much like the new blog re-design, Bryan. The blue color scheme is soothing and just right for those who of us who need and read your good articles—very good!
Dr. Hallowell is right on two counts here. When ADHD is in the picture, the person one chooses to marry AND the job one finds really are so very impportant. In a marriage where at least one of the spouses is challenged with ADHD, being able to LISTEN is a huge factor (it’s a factor in any marriage but particularly important for a spouse with ADHD). This requires sitting still and truly hearing what the other spouse is saying and meaning—even to the point of getting the inferences that may be there, too. Those in the adderworld are not usually adept at sitting still and truly listening for any length of time (texting does not count here!) PATIENCE is a key component in any marriage—all the more so in a union where ADHD is present. So one can see that taking the time and thought to truly CHOOSE the right spouse is vital.
Finding the right job is critical, too, but takes PATIENCE as well—patience in focusing on one’s strengths rather than on weaknesses and patience to wait for the RIGHT opportunities. Then it requires patience again to seek out the unique opportunities that fit those strengths and may even be able to capitalize on one’s ADHD tendencies. Addressing a job search in this way will better ensure sustained employment in a potential position. This kind of job search may be a particular challenge right now during the current economic situation, but it is still very possible. Also, the ability to FOLLOW THROUGH is huge when carrying out any job search. However, even in this environment, it is a good idea to remember that the candidate can actually benefit from harnessing the ADHD to help provide the energy needed to do this.
Finally, the right spouse and the right job will most certainly influence and can even determine one’s level of success and overall happiness in life. Remember that one must CHOOSE wisely for the future, all the more wisely when ADHD is part of one’s present.
It was a pleasure, Joan! And thanks about the design. Jorge really did an outstanding job and I like the shades of blue, too.
About the rest of your comment, all that needs to be said is: Well said!
Finding the right relationship doesn’t mean it is going to be perfect and never have an issue, relationships do take work even in the right relationship, but the wrong relationship ‘feels’ wrong, even though most of us don’t want to give up on someone or are afraid we’ll never find someone else or do not want to be alone.
I actually think jobs are more of a problem for people with ADHD because we need to work in the areas of our talents and our strengths, but from an early age those are set to the side replaced with ‘structure’ and getting a ‘proper’ education. That’s why it is important for people with ADHD to pay close attention to the things they ‘enjoy’ doing as a hobby or just for fun, because it is in those things where they will find their strengths and their talents. The trick is to combine what you enjoy into searching for the type of job that is right for you. And, yes, even if we know those things sometimes we must take a job to make-a-living, but nothing stops us from applying and searching.
Thanks for taking the time to post such a thoughtful comment, Joan.
Bests,
Bryan
The stages of growth in humans as described in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs should now be updated to Hallowell’s Hierarchy of Human Needs. Maslow has “self-actualization” as being the epidomy of what a human being can a achieve. Dr. Hallowell asserts success is not in succeeding alone, but in concert with others. We achieve more together, and we’re happier as a result. As far as human psychology goes, you heard it first here, folks.
Indeed, Loretta
Thanks a lot… your answer to Skyblue and the word HOPE is THE ANSWER..
thanks again….
Always a pleasure, Vivian!
Hello, Bryan. Brand new here, but I love Dr. Hallowell and his work. Thanks for this interview. Love your site and am looking forward to more good info.
Yep, I think Dr. Hallowell is great, too! Thanks for stopping by!
Bryan
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