Abigail L. Levrini PhD - Succeeding With Adult ADHD: Daily Strategies to Help You Achieve Your Goals and Manage Your Life (APA LifeTools Series)

It was difficult to imagine how the original Succeeding With Adult ADHD could be improved upon, but Levrini pulled it off with flying colors. This magnificent updated edition is a treasure trove of helpful skills and strategies designed for adults with ADHD and, more important, methods for personalizing the skills and strategies to put them to use in your daily life to achieve positive results. It will continue to be one of the go-to recommended readings in our program.

J. RUSSELL RAMSAY, PhD, ABPP, CLINICAL DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA ADULT ADHD TREATMENT AND RESEARCH PROGRAM, PHILADELPHIA, AND AUTHOR OF THE ADULT ADHD TOOL KIT: USING CBT TO FACILITATE COPING INSIDE AND OUT AND RETHINKING ADULT ADHD: HELPING CLIENTS TURN INTENTIONS INTO ACTIONS

There is so much wisdom under the surface of Succeeding With Adult ADHD. Dr. Levrini wont bore you with the details, but her advice and strategies have what it takes to actually work. She knows her stuff, and you will be better off for it!

ARI TUCKMAN, PsyD, CST, AUTHOR OF ADHD AFTER DARK: BETTER SEX LIFE, BETTER RELATIONSHIP

Abigail Levrini gets ADHD. She understands its upsides, but she also knows its downsides intimately, in the same way she knows her own closets and other mess piles. Best of all, through years of experience in the trenches, shes come up with practical solutions on how to right the ship, worded so they dont sound like psycho-nagging but rather like what a good and trusted friend who knows you well would recommend.

EDWARD HALLOWELL, MD, AUTHOR OF DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION AND ADHD 2.0

PRAISE FOR THE FIRST EDITION

This book is a survivors manual for adults wishing to better cope with ADHD and reduce its adverse effects on daily life. In doing so, it is an unqualified success.

RUSSELL A. BARKLEY, PhD, ABPP, ABCN, RETIRED CLINICAL PROFESSOR OF PSYCHIATRY, VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, RICHMOND

Copyright 2023 by the American Psychological Association. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, including, but not limited to, the process of scanning and digitization, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Electronic edition published 2023.

ISBN: 978-1-4338-3875-0 (electronic edition).

The opinions and statements published are the responsibility of the author, and such opinions and statements do not necessarily represent the policies of the American Psychological Association.

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Cover Designer: Mark Karis

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Levrini, Abigail, author. | American Psychological Association.

Title: Succeeding with adult ADHD : daily strategies to help you achieve your goals and manage your life / by Abigail Levrini.

Description: Second edition. | Washington, DC : American Psychological Association, 2023. | Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers: LCCN 2022027879 (print) | LCCN 2022027880 (ebook) | ISBN 9781433838743 (paperback) | ISBN 9781433838750 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Attention-deficit disorder in adults--Popular works.

Classification: LCC RC394.A85 L48 2023 (print) | LCC RC394.A85 (ebook) | DDC 616.8589--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022027879

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022027880

https://doi.org/10.1037/0000329-000

This book is dedicated to my awesome partner, Chad, and our amazing kids, Evelyn and Reese. Without them, my goals would mean nothing. And to my parents, Susan and Joel, who helped me to fill my own toolbox for a successful life.
Abigail Levrini

INTRODUCTION

Years of research within the scientific community confirms that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) persists into adulthood (Caye et al., 2016). While symptoms may change, the disorder can manifest itself in virtually every area of life: emotion regulation; work performance; family life; relationships with partners, friends, and coworkers; time management; and the ability to stay organized and achieve goals. Maybe you struggle to keep track of projects and tasks, resulting in failed attempts at advanced degrees or job-hopping. Or you may zone out frequently and forget things your partner said, resulting in failed marriages or lost friendships. You may lose things easily or lack patience, resulting in a hectic household and parenting regrets. ADHD can negatively impact nearly every facet of your life, leaving you feeling hopeless and stressed, lost and alone.

Whether you suspect you have ADHD, are newly diagnosed, or have known for years that you struggle with the disorder, this book can help you to regain cognitive control of your actions and thoughts through learning how to develop and maintain goal-directed behavior. By applying the principles in this book, you will begin to reach your current and future goals. The strategies presented are based on scientific research spanning decades, including my own and that of other experts in the field, as well as my years in private practice putting these strategies to the test with hundreds of adults, just like you. I am a clinical psychologist who specializes in treating patients with ADHD. When I earned my PhD at Florida State University, I was part of a team that spearheaded a now nationally recognized ADHD behavioral treatment intervention. I have published numerous scientific articles on ADHD in peer-reviewed journals, and I regularly give ADHD-related presentations in professional settings throughout the country. In addition to the first edition of this book, I have published a scientific manual and video on the best practices of ADHD treatment for mental health professionals. I conduct original research on ADHD, and I maintain a busy clinical practice, where I help adults develop skills to manage their ADHD.

Throughout this book, you will meet some of the adults I have had the pleasure of working with over the years, all of whom came to me out of fear, frustration, or, at times, desperation. All of them went on to experience success, joy, and self-satisfaction they had thought was all but impossible. You will meet clients like Addison, who had recently turned 30 and was ready to give up after attempting college four times only to be told maybe you just arent smart enough by her professors and guidance counselor (she had a nearly gifted IQ); or Fred, whose self-efficacy had hit rock bottom after using his savings to start, but not finish, numerous business ideas and whose wife had enough of his manipulation and deceit. (This was actually his impulse to lie to avoid her negative reaction.)