Chris Worfolk's Blog

Could It Be Adult ADHD: A Clinician’s Guie to Recognition, Assessmnt, and Treatment is a book by Jan Willer.

It provides a a lot of good information for professionals on recognising signs of ADHD in adults. It goes beyond the simple list of ICD/DSM criteria and talks about related problems and offers a bit of guidance on differential diagnosis. It is accessible and comes with vignettes.

It is written from a compassionate perspective, and does talk about ADHD strengths, but overall comes from a very medical deficit-focused perspective. Everything is written as a disorder and there isn’t much attempt to describe the ADHD experience beyond the vignette quotes. As a result, I skim read most of it and skipped the treatment section entirely. That talks about CBT and skills training.

We all have that one nightmare scenario that sits in the back of our mind. Sometimes it comes true…

ADHD 2.0: New Science and Essential Strategies for Thriving with Distraction is a book by Edward Hallowell and John Ratey.

It is written for adults who are ADHD or have ADHD children, but could also potentially be a read for clinicians who want to gain greater insight into the ADHD experience. It talks about one of the underlying models of ADHD (default mode network) and then goes on to talk about practical strategies such as building the right environment, exercise, diet, and discusses the use of medication.

From a critical perspective, many of the strategies are simple and common sense. That doesn’t mean they work. But, for example, the authors try to sell us on the benefits of to-do lists. But many ADHD people have told me they can never remember to check their to-do list so more scaffolding is needed. Perhaps the biggest criticism of the book, though, is that it writes in support of Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA), an approach firmly rejected by the neurodivergent community.

I don’t know how to reconcile these differences. For the most part, it is a very neuroaffirmative book and I’m thinking “these people really get ADHD”. But then when I read other bits, such as ABA or just write a to-do list, I’m thinking “these people have never met an ADHD client”. On the whole, I the whole, it is mostly the former but I don’t think I would recommend it as a resource.

Them: “Have you been to Eureka before?”
Me: “Yes. But not in the past 30 years so maybe you should give us a refresher.”

We have freed up some more space for the clinic, so from next week, I will be available for in-person sessions at Leeds Anxiety Clinic, as well as online. Chris’s appointments are available as usual, too, so you can have your pick.

This year’s Hyde Park Harriers Christmas party took place at the Water Lane Boathouse. Great pizza. Thanks Paul for organising it, and Toby for doing the quiz.

Heslington parkrun takes place at the York Sport Village Cycling Circuit. It’s a one kilometre cycle track meaning you take on five loops to complete the parkrun. It is very flat with only one slight rise and the laps allow you to gauge your pace, even if it is a little repetitive. Great course if you are looking for something flat and fast.

The Abbey Dash is a flat and fast 10k. And yet somehow has a new flatter course than when I last ran it in 2021. There was a good turnout from Hyde Park Harriers but we never got a group photo organised. I finished in:

50:40

I spent 1:40 in an emergncy bathroom stop at the half way point, so I think I would have run around a 49-minute 10k if it was not for that. I was delighted with it as I haven’t done much fast stuff since spring and not much serious running since Dublin Marathon, so I’m flat I’m still reasonably fit.

It was a great day of running. Cold and dry. Plus there was the Christmas market in City Square. Well done to everyone who took part and thank you to all of the volunteers.

York parkrun takes place on York race course. it’s one and a half laps, meaning it starts on the far side and finishes in front of the grand stand. It’s a popular one: despite the cold November weather, there were 608 of us there. It’s probably a PB course if you are at the front as it’s absolutely flat and tarmac all the way around. Further back there is quite a lot of congestion, especially around the large puddles that form after heavy rain. Thank you to all of the volunteers and excited to have got my Y for the alphabet challenge.