Edward McKey Hallowell (born December 2, 1949) is an American
psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry. Psychiatrists are physicians who evaluate patients to determine whether their symptoms are the result of a physical illness, a combination of physical and mental ailments or strictly ...
, speaker, ''New York Times'' best-selling author and podcast host. He specializes in
ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and is the founder of the Hallowell ADHD Centers. Hallowell is the author of 20 books, including the Distraction series, co-authored with
John Ratey.
Education
Hallowell is an alumnus of
Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy (often called Exeter or PEA) is an Independent school, independent, co-educational, college-preparatory school in Exeter, New Hampshire. Established in 1781, it is America's sixth-oldest boarding school and educates an es ...
,
Harvard College
Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...
and
Tulane University School of Medicine. He received a bachelor's degree in English from
Harvard College
Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...
and a medical degree from the
Tulane University School of Medicine.
[ADHD Nation – Alan Schwarz – 2016] Hallowell completed his residency in adult and child psychiatry at
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is the third oldest medical school in the Un ...
.
Hallowell has been treating people of all ages with ADHD since 1981, and has stated that he has
dyslexia
Dyslexia (), previously known as word blindness, is a learning disability that affects either reading or writing. Different people are affected to different degrees. Problems may include difficulties in spelling words, reading quickly, wri ...
and ADHD, which is self-diagnosed. His approach to the condition uses a strength-based model—developed with ''Driven to Distraction'' co-author Dr.
John Ratey—that is based on the tenets of
positive psychology
Positive psychology is the scientific study of conditions and processes that contribute to positive psychological states (e.g., contentment, joy), well-being, Positive psychology of relationships, positive relationships, and positive institutio ...
and takes a more holistic view of ADHD, rather than seeing it purely as a disorder with negative symptoms. This model was new to the field.
Using this treatment model, Hallowell founded the ADHD Hallowell Centers to support and treat people with ADHD. There are currently six locations in the United States, including New York City, Seattle and Boston. Hallowell states that there are four key aspects to treatment for ADHD: 1) learning as much as possible about the condition in order to "know what it is, and what it is not" and to understand the specific symptoms that a person has; 2) getting a coach to help with the executive functioning type tasks that people with ADHD tend to struggle with; 3) lifestyle changes, including good nutrition, sleep and physical exercise; and 4) medication, if it is beneficial for the individual. Hallowell has stated that "the biggest problem we face in terms of the perception of ADHD is ignorance and stigma." He has also stated that "contentiousness around ADHD is simply rooted in ignorance."
Hallowell believes ADHD is due to a "biochemical imbalance in the brain".
On September 15, 2005, Hallowell said, "Whenever you get someone with ADHD diagnosed and treated successfully, everyone wins. Along with behavioral therapy, medication is good because it can improve adults' relationships, parenting skills, job performance, even their sex lives". In a 2013 interview, Hallowell said that, when used properly,
stimulant medication is safe and benefits patients with ADHD in 80% of cases. He said children as young as 4 years old can use it and that his oldest patient was 86 years old.
Hallowell estimated that 15% of the population have ADHD.
The DSM state 5% have it.
Hallowell believes that
Adderall and other stimulant drugs are safer than
aspirin. He also believes
Coffee
Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...
is more toxic than
Adderall.
Hallowell has been a paid consultant for McNeil Pediatrics, who make stimulant drugs including Adderall and Concerta.
In 2018, he said, "prisons are full of people with undiagnosed ADHD, as are the lines of the unemployed, the marginalized, the addicted and the depressed. ADHD can ruin a person's life, or hold them back from ever reaching their full potential". A study conducted in 2018 found that 25% of the prison population had undiagnosed ADHD.
Hallowell supports the official and updated definition of ADHD developed by the DSM-5 Task Force. ADHD does not always include hyperactivity, and Hallowell says that this type, known as ADHD Inattentive Type, occurs frequently in women. In 2020, Hallowell said that the term ''Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder'' is a horrible term, and that "individuals with ADHD don't have a deficiency of attention, but an abundance of it." Hallowell claims that ADHD does not always include hyperactivity but can include an inability to follow through on assignments at work or at school, misplacing things, avoiding tasks or getting distracted easily. Hallowell also believes that hyperactivity can be a misleading symptom and can lead to individuals going undiagnosed in some cases.
Hallowell has described the ADHD brain as a
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and be ...
engine with bicycle brakes.
Hallowell and Ratey created a new term, ''VAST'' (Variable Attention Stimulus Trait), to describe ADHD more effectively, and wrote about this extensively in their new book, published in January 2021. ''VAST'' derives from the fact that people with ADHD are drawn to high stimulation situations and their attention varies based on the level of stimulation within the situation.
Hallowell also created the term ''sensitive euphoria'': when individuals with ADHD are criticized or rejected, they typically wilt, while forms of encouragement and recognition help them immensely.
Hallowell has written over 20 books on ADHD and other psychological topics, writes a monthly blog about the topic and is a regular contributor to ''
ADDitude Magazine''. He also serves on the ADHD Medical Review Panel for ''ADDitude''. In 2018, he was awarded the National Alliance on Mental Illness' Leader of Mental Health Awareness Award. Hallowell has been a podcast host since 2015. In October 2020, he began posting educational videos on TikTok.
Books
Hallowell has authored over 20 books. His Distraction series, co-authored with Dr John Ratey, is focused on a strength-based approach to ADHD.
Distraction series
*''Driven to Distraction (Revised)'': Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder Paperback – September 13, 2011
st pub. 1994 with John Ratey
* ''Delivered from Distraction'': Getting the Most out of Life with Attention Deficit Disorder – December 27, 2005, with John Ratey
* ''Answers to Distraction'' – January 12, 2010, with John Ratey
* ''Married to Distraction'': How to Restore Intimacy and Strengthen Your Partnership in an Age of Interruption – February 8, 2011
st pub. March 16, 2010 with Sue Hallowell
* ''Driven to Distraction at Work'': How to Focus and Be More Productive – January 6, 2015
* ''
ADHD 2.0: New Science and Essential Strategies for Thriving with Distraction – From Childhood Through Adulthood'' – January 12, 2021, with John Ratey
Other books
*''Finding the Heart of the Child (1993)'' Essays on Children, Families, and Schools – January 1, 1997
*''When You Worry About The Child You Love'' (1997) – August 27, 1997
*''Worry: Hope and Help for a Common Condition'' – September 14, 1998
*''Connect: 12 Vital Ties That Open Your Heart, Lengthen Your Life, and Deepen Your Soul'' – April 1, 2001
*''Human Moments: How to Find Meaning and Love in Your Everyday Life'' – September 7, 2001
*''Shine: Using Brain Science to Get the Best from Your People'' – January 13, 2011
*''The Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness: Five Steps to Help Kids Create and Sustain Lifelong Joy'' – August 26, 2003
*''A Walk in the Rain With a Brain'' – Picture Book, September 28, 2004
*''Dare to Forgive: The Power of Letting Go and Moving On'' – January 15, 2006
*''Crazy Busy'':
Overstretched, Overbooked, and About to Snap! Strategies for Handling Your Fast-Paced Life – March 27, 2007
*''Superparenting for ADD'': An Innovative Approach to Raising Your Distracted Child – February 23, 2010
*''Because I Come From A Crazy Family (The Making of a Psychiatrist)'' – June 12, 2018
Controversy
According to Sophie McBain in a New Statesman article in 2022, Hallowell was part of a small circle of professionals, drug companies and advocacy groups who pushed for a loosening of the diagnostic criteria, fuelling a precipitous rise in ADHD diagnosis rates in the US. Indeed, by 2013, one in five boys in US high schools were considered to have it, with the majority receiving medication.
TV appearances
Hallowell has appeared on television several times discussing ADHD. He has appeared on ''20/20'', ''60 Minutes'', the BBC, CNN, ''Dateline'', ''Good Morning America'', ''The Jane Pauley Show'', ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', ''The Dr. Phil Show'', PBS, ''The Today Show'', ''The View'', and many local news programs. He also has appeared on the ''Revolution'' show with
Ty Pennington and
Jennifer Ashton. In this he told somebody to "Go and get that diagnosis".
Personal life
Hallowell grew up in Chatham, Massachusetts. His father had
bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder (BD), previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of Depression (mood), depression and periods of abnormally elevated Mood (psychology), mood that each last from days to weeks, and in ...
and initially received psychiatric treatment for misdiagnosed
schizophrenia
Schizophrenia () is a mental disorder characterized variously by hallucinations (typically, Auditory hallucination#Schizophrenia, hearing voices), delusions, thought disorder, disorganized thinking and behavior, and Reduced affect display, f ...
. His mother remarried and subsequently divorced an abusive alcoholic. Hallowell had two brothers: John, who became a Hollywood reporter and died in 2015, and Ben, who graduated from the Naval Academy.
Hallowell lives in the
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
, Massachusetts, area with his wife, Sue, a social worker. They have three adult children.
Legal issue
In May 2015, Hallowell was charged for allegedly groping a makeup artist at an interview taping in 2014. Hallowell did not dispute the claim and told police the incident was a misunderstanding and any touching was "inadvertent". The accuser later said, "I may have misconstrued Dr. Hallowell's intention, as he did nothing beyond the initial contact", and that she did not wish for Hallowell to be prosecuted. In September 2015, a judge ordered the charges to be dropped.
Admonishment For Sexually Inappropriate Comments
In October 2024, Hallowell was admonished by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine for making sexually inappropriate remarks towards a patient and his partner. Hallowell himself "admitted in a Consent Order that he directed two sexually inappropriate comments towards a patient and his partner. These comments were unrelated to treatment and shocked and offended the patient and his partner".
[https://www.mass.gov/news/massachusetts-board-of-medicine-takes-disciplinary-action-october-24-2024]
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hallowell, Edward
Living people
Hallowell family
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder researchers
Phillips Exeter Academy alumni
Harvard College alumni
Tulane University School of Medicine alumni
Harvard Medical School faculty
American psychiatrists
1949 births
Scientists with dyslexia
American scientists with disabilities
Physicians with disabilities