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Recognizing Adult ADHD: What Donald Trump Can Teach Us About Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
ADHD causes more than just distractibility and restlessness. Dr. John Kruse capitalizes on his training in neuroscience and his decades of experience as a psychiatrist to explain how the concept of "executive function deficits" illuminates why ADHD can manifest as impulsivity, inconsistency, spontaneity, emotional volatility, poor follow-through, extreme candor, and troubles prioritizing. We avert tragedies by accurately identifying and treating adult ADHD, yet far too often we fail to recognize the condition.
Through his political prominence, Mr. Trump nominated himself to be the poster child for adult ADHD. The President also showcases how we frequently ignore or mischaracterize even florid and daily ADHD-driven behaviors, particularly in individuals who also display other mental health conditions. Recognizing Adult ADHD utilizes information in the public record to demonstrate how Mr. Trump robustly fulfills the objective, behavioral diagnostic criteria for ADHD.
Recognizing Adult ADHD explores feedback loops by which sleep, diet, exercise, social media, and Mr. Trump himself, drive our society in evermore ADHD-like directions. Dr. Kruse charts a path for reducing stigma around ADHD and other mental health conditions by delving into the intertwined fields of neuroscience, psychiatry, ethics, and politics. While the frenetic pace and information overload of our ADHD world threatens to submerge each day in new angst, this book adds nuance to help us navigate our lives.
John Kruse has practiced psychiatry in San Francisco for the last twenty-five years, after completing both his MD and PhD (Neuroscience) at the University of Rochester. Witnessing an unending stream of undiagnosed adults with ADHD kindled his awareness that our world needs greater understanding of, and empathy for, those individuals with the complex and potentially disabling condition of adult ADHD. Outside of his clinical work, Dr. Kruse enjoys time with his family, runs marathons, bird-watches, and bakes.
Through his political prominence, Mr. Trump nominated himself to be the poster child for adult ADHD. The President also showcases how we frequently ignore or mischaracterize even florid and daily ADHD-driven behaviors, particularly in individuals who also display other mental health conditions. Recognizing Adult ADHD utilizes information in the public record to demonstrate how Mr. Trump robustly fulfills the objective, behavioral diagnostic criteria for ADHD.
Recognizing Adult ADHD explores feedback loops by which sleep, diet, exercise, social media, and Mr. Trump himself, drive our society in evermore ADHD-like directions. Dr. Kruse charts a path for reducing stigma around ADHD and other mental health conditions by delving into the intertwined fields of neuroscience, psychiatry, ethics, and politics. While the frenetic pace and information overload of our ADHD world threatens to submerge each day in new angst, this book adds nuance to help us navigate our lives.
John Kruse has practiced psychiatry in San Francisco for the last twenty-five years, after completing both his MD and PhD (Neuroscience) at the University of Rochester. Witnessing an unending stream of undiagnosed adults with ADHD kindled his awareness that our world needs greater understanding of, and empathy for, those individuals with the complex and potentially disabling condition of adult ADHD. Outside of his clinical work, Dr. Kruse enjoys time with his family, runs marathons, bird-watches, and bakes.
- GenresAdhdNonfiction
292 pages, Paperback
Published July 19, 2019
20 people are currently reading
48 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 25, 2019
I’ve never met a more intelligent, forthright, or sincere writer than John Kruse. He trained as a neuroscientist and has been practicing psychiatry in San Francisco for the last twenty-five years. For the last year he has been writing blog posts, and now a book about adult ADHD and Donald Trump.
In Recognizing Adult ADHD: What Donald Trump Can Teach Us About Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, he uses the president to explain to a general audience the multiple ways ADHD can affect behavior. This book has helped me make more sense of today's political climate and of the increasingly distracted world around me.
A lot of people who hear about this book want to jump into a conversation about how doctors are not supposed to diagnose public figures. But Kruse spends the final third of this book untangling not only how the Goldwater Rule does not apply here but how complex it is to talk about ADHD at all. "The practice of medicine," he reminds us, "always requires balancing the potential harm of not diagnosing and treating a condition against the potential harm of identifying and treating it." In this section, he goes on to address anxieties about stigma and how it complicates diagnosis. "Often problems correlated with a minority group status result from stigmatization or discrimination of members of that group, rather than from the condition itself," he writes.
Kruse combines solid research, his own expertise in ADHD, and his astute political observations to offer a satisfying, often funny, and stunningly compassionate perspective on surviving this presidency. He writes with the voice of a gentle and careful clinician, not a political satirist or attacker. He treats his subjects and therefore his readers, without judgment or shame. Everyone who’s hungry to make sense of our nonsensical political climate should read it.
Please note: Often, my book reviews read a little more like love letters. I know that and post my thoughts among the other book reviews on Amazon and GoodReads anyway. John is a a client of Sexy Grammar, my small business supporting writers. I had the pleasure of reading some of this book in draft form and involvement in the project in its final stages.
In Recognizing Adult ADHD: What Donald Trump Can Teach Us About Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, he uses the president to explain to a general audience the multiple ways ADHD can affect behavior. This book has helped me make more sense of today's political climate and of the increasingly distracted world around me.
A lot of people who hear about this book want to jump into a conversation about how doctors are not supposed to diagnose public figures. But Kruse spends the final third of this book untangling not only how the Goldwater Rule does not apply here but how complex it is to talk about ADHD at all. "The practice of medicine," he reminds us, "always requires balancing the potential harm of not diagnosing and treating a condition against the potential harm of identifying and treating it." In this section, he goes on to address anxieties about stigma and how it complicates diagnosis. "Often problems correlated with a minority group status result from stigmatization or discrimination of members of that group, rather than from the condition itself," he writes.
Kruse combines solid research, his own expertise in ADHD, and his astute political observations to offer a satisfying, often funny, and stunningly compassionate perspective on surviving this presidency. He writes with the voice of a gentle and careful clinician, not a political satirist or attacker. He treats his subjects and therefore his readers, without judgment or shame. Everyone who’s hungry to make sense of our nonsensical political climate should read it.
Please note: Often, my book reviews read a little more like love letters. I know that and post my thoughts among the other book reviews on Amazon and GoodReads anyway. John is a a client of Sexy Grammar, my small business supporting writers. I had the pleasure of reading some of this book in draft form and involvement in the project in its final stages.
October 19, 2021
Rating 2.5 stars
I have very mixed feelings towards this book and the author. Warning for those favorable towards Donald Trump: you will probably not like this book as the author makes it very clear he has a low opinion of Trump. I think the author does a good job explaining why he believes Trump qualifies for a diagnosis of ADHD under current criteria. The book does a decent job explaining ADHD in a relatively neutral light in spite of the author's dislike of Trump and pointing out his ADHD characteristics.
There are some very good chapters and sections that helped deepen my understanding of ADHD. At the end of the book, he also includes some practical tips to manage ADHD. However, this section also has overtones of "just try harder" that I found frustrating.
I liked that he addressed the Goldwater rule/principle. This is a principle that states psychiatrists should not offer a diagnosis of a public figure whom they have not personally and formally interviewed. It has been around since the 70's. I thought it was interesting that I came to the same conclusion regarding it as Dr. Kruse but by very different reasoning.
I do agree with his overall thesis that ADHD helps explain many of Trump's behaviors better than most diagnoses (though I think he dismisses narcissism as a comorbidity too readily). I think he has some really good insights about ADHD. There are also some philosophies he holds towards those with ADHD that I find a little demeaning. Overall, I think there are some very good as well as very frustrating sections of this book.
I have very mixed feelings towards this book and the author. Warning for those favorable towards Donald Trump: you will probably not like this book as the author makes it very clear he has a low opinion of Trump. I think the author does a good job explaining why he believes Trump qualifies for a diagnosis of ADHD under current criteria. The book does a decent job explaining ADHD in a relatively neutral light in spite of the author's dislike of Trump and pointing out his ADHD characteristics.
There are some very good chapters and sections that helped deepen my understanding of ADHD. At the end of the book, he also includes some practical tips to manage ADHD. However, this section also has overtones of "just try harder" that I found frustrating.
I liked that he addressed the Goldwater rule/principle. This is a principle that states psychiatrists should not offer a diagnosis of a public figure whom they have not personally and formally interviewed. It has been around since the 70's. I thought it was interesting that I came to the same conclusion regarding it as Dr. Kruse but by very different reasoning.
I do agree with his overall thesis that ADHD helps explain many of Trump's behaviors better than most diagnoses (though I think he dismisses narcissism as a comorbidity too readily). I think he has some really good insights about ADHD. There are also some philosophies he holds towards those with ADHD that I find a little demeaning. Overall, I think there are some very good as well as very frustrating sections of this book.
November 19, 2021
Not bad… it's pretty funny and the author, I think, truly dislikes Donald Trump. As someone with ADHD, this book it's pretty insightful, and I learn quite a lot of reading it. After reading this, I felt slight pity for Donald Trump. Only slightly, though…
July 14, 2025
My favorite book on ADHD. The blend of scientifically backed insights and the author’s clinical experience is something I haven't found in any other books.
I think the book’s average rating is skewed by its references to a well-known public figure. At first, I found the mentions annoying — probably just Trump fatigue. But now I get it — he's a good example for a book about *recognizing* adult ADHD, simply because he’s so universally known.
The author also has a blog and a youtube channel full of similarly great content — would recommend to anyone interested in the topic.
I think the book’s average rating is skewed by its references to a well-known public figure. At first, I found the mentions annoying — probably just Trump fatigue. But now I get it — he's a good example for a book about *recognizing* adult ADHD, simply because he’s so universally known.
The author also has a blog and a youtube channel full of similarly great content — would recommend to anyone interested in the topic.
October 31, 2023
A very interesting book in which the author uses Donald Trump's behavior to illustrate the various aspects of ADHD and how it can positively and negatively impact people's lives. The aim is not political, but chosing Trump as an example of someone whose actions can be explained by undiagnosed ADHD + comorbidity helps illustrate content that may otherwise stay abstract and theoretical. I learned quite a bit from this book, even though it is clearly written from a US-centered perspective.
August 3, 2021
It would be a much better book without all of the Trump bashing. I do not think this author would've described any other ADHD sufferer with the disrespect with which he described Trump's ADHD. Whether or not you like Trump, nothing is gained by name calling and it takes away from this book's otherwise helpful content.
August 25, 2020
An intriguing and helpful take to make some sense on the man ‘in charge’.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews