About this item
The first book of its kind, this compelling and moving memoir about what it's like to be a child with ADHD also explains the history of the diagnosis and how we have come to medicate more than four million children today.Among the first generation of boys prescribed medication for hyperactivity in the 1980s, Timothy Denevi took Ritalin at the age of six, and during the first week, it triggered a psychotic reaction. Doctors recommended behavior therapy, then antidepressants. Nothing worked. As Timothy's parents and doctors sought to treat his behavior, he was subjected to a liquid diet, a sleep-deprived EEG, and bizarre behavioral assessments before finding help in therapy combined with medication. In Hyper, Timothy describes how he makes his way through school, knowing he is a problem for those who love him, longing to be able to be good and fit in, hanging out with boys who have similar symptoms but meet different ends, and finally realizing he has to come to grips with his disorder before his life spins out of control.
About the Author
Timothy Denevi is the author of FREAK KINGDOM (2018) , a biography of Hunter S. Thompson's political career, and HYPER (2014) , a memoir and cultural history of ADHD. His essays can be found online in The Atlantic, New York, Salon, Time, The Paris Review, and Literary Hub, where he serves as the nonfiction editor. He lives near Washington, DC, with his wife and children, and teaches in the MFA program at George Mason University.
