Besides his clinical work, he is also an expert in the neuropsychology of
executive function and
self-regulation. He is board certified in three clinical specialties: clinical neuropsychology, clinical psychology, and clinical child and adolescent psychology.[3]
Early life and education
Russell Alan Barkley was born in
Newburgh, New York. He was one of five children, born to US Air Force Colonel Donald Stuart Barkley (27 February 1916 – 15 June 1999) and Mildred Minerva née Terbush (10 September 1914 – 25 April 2008). Barkley had a
fraternal twin brother, Ronald Foster Barkley,[13][14] who was killed in a car crash on 24 July 2006. Barkley attributes his brother's history of dangerous and reckless behavior, including not wearing a seat belt and speeding at the time of his crash, to untreated ADHD.[15] Ronald was several times over the legal alcohol limit, speeding and not wearing a seat belt at the time of his fatal crash.[16]
Barkley led the first International Consensus Statement on ADHD.[26] He is known for his research contributions[27][28][29][30][31] including multiple papers from his longitudinal study in Milwaukee, Wisconsin;[32][33] the persistence of ADHD into adulthood;[34][35][36] his development of a theory of ADHD as a disorder of executive functioning and self-regulation;[37][38] advances in emotional dysregulation as a core ADHD component;[39] early research on family interaction patterns in ADHD children;[40] his more recent studies on the nature of ADHD in adults;[41] early intervention for children at risk for ADHD;[42] training parents to manage ADHD and defiant behavior;[43] and the nature of cognitive disengagement syndrome.[44]
He has given more than 800 invited lectures in more than 30 countries during his career, as part of part of his effort to disseminate science.[45][46] Barkley edited ''The ADHD Report'', a newsletter for clinicians and parents, until its 30th and final volume in 2022.[47] Barkley has performed his forever last invited public lecture at the Centro Archimede Medical Centre, where he discussed
ADHD,
CDS and related topics, in Italy, September 30 2023.[48][49]
Besides his books, he has published six clinical rating scales related to ADHD, executive functioning, and impairment.[3][4] One of Barkley's rating scales for adult ADHD evaluates CDS,[50] a distinct syndrome from ADHD.[51]
Barkley believes between 5-7% of people have ADHD.[52]
Views on medication
In 1978, Barkley wrote that "Stimulant drug studies based primarily on measures of teacher opinion have frequently concluded that these drugs improve the achievement of hyperkinetic children. However, a review of those studies using more objective measures of academic performance revealed few positive short-term or long-term drug effects on these measures. What few improvements have been noted can be readily attributed to better attention during testing. The major effect of the stimulants appears to be an improvement in classroom manageability rather than academic performance".[53] In 1991, Barkley noted that "Psychostimulant medications (e.g., Ritalin) are highly effective treatments for the symptomatic management of children with ADHD as they can enhance significantly their attention span, impulse control, academic performance, and peer relationships".[53]
In response to critics who point to countries with lower rates of diagnoses and medication of children for ADHD, Barkley said, "So what? We do not let the rest of the world set our standards of care when we do more research on childhood disorders--specifically ADHD--than other countries combined?".[54]
Barkley believes that drugs such as Adderall, Ritalin and Concerta should be downgraded to schedule III.[55]
During an interview in 2001, Barkley said that "All of the research we have indicates that these drugs are some of the safest that we employ in the field of psychiatry and psychology. That's not to say that we know everything about them. But we know a lot more than we know about cough medicines and Tylenol and aspirins and other things that children swill whenever they come down with a common cold. Nobody asks those questions about those over-the-counter medications, yet we know substantially less about them".[56]
Barkley has compared “ADHD” to a physical handicap, with Ritalin being the equivalent of a wheelchair.[57] On 16 November 1998 he said that "Ritalin will be ranked as one of the leading developments in this century for helping individuals".[58] In 1999 Barkley said "Once convinced of an ADHD diagnosis there is no compelling reason (For someone diagnosed with ADHD) to avoid Ritalin".[59]
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Handbook for Diagnosis and Treatment.4th ed. New York: Guilford Press, 2015.
ISBN978-1-4625-1772-5.
ADHD and the Nature of Self Control. New York: Guilford Press, 1997.
ISBN978-1-57230-250-1.
Taking Charge of ADHD: The Complete, Authoritative Guide for Parents. New York: Guilford Press, (3rd ed.) 2013.
ISBN978-1-46250-789-4.
With Kevin R Murphy and Mariellen Fischer. ADHD in Adults: What the Science Says. New York: Guilford Press, 2008.
ISBN978-1-59385-586-4.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Adults: The Latest Assessment and Treatment Strategies. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett, 2010.
ISBN978-0-7637-6564-4.
^Faraone, Stephen V.; Rostain, Anthony L.; Blader, Joseph; Busch, Betsy; Childress, Ann C.; Connor, Daniel F.; Newcorn, Jeffrey H. (February 2019). "Practitioner Review: Emotional dysregulation in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder – implications for clinical recognition and intervention". Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 60 (2): 133–150.
doi:
10.1111/jcpp.12899.
ISSN0021-9630.
PMID29624671.
^Antshel, Kevin M.; Hier, Bridget O.; Barkley, Russell A. (2014), Goldstein, Sam; Naglieri, Jack A. (eds.), "Executive Functioning Theory and ADHD", Handbook of Executive Functioning, New York, NY: Springer, pp. 107–120,
doi:
10.1007/978-1-4614-8106-5_7,
ISBN978-1-4614-8106-5
^Barkley, R.; Murphy, K.; Robison, Reid J.; Reimherr, F.; Marchant, Barrie K.; Kondo, D.; Coon, H.; Rosen, Paul; Epstein, J. (2010). "Emotional Self-Regulation in Adults With Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder ( ADHD ) : The Relative Contributions of Emotional Impulsiveness and ADHD Symptoms to Adaptive Impairments in Major Life Activities".
S2CID17568892. {{
cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (
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^Barkley, Russell A.; Anastopoulos, Arthur D.; Guevremont, David C.; Fletcher, Kenneth E. (1992-06-01). "Adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: Mother-adolescent interactions, family beliefs and conflicts, and maternal psychopathology". Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. 20 (3): 263–288.
doi:
10.1007/BF00916692.
ISSN1573-2835.
PMID1619134.
^Barkley, Russell A.; Murphy, Kevin R. (2011-06-01). "The Nature of Executive Function (EF) Deficits in Daily Life Activities in Adults with ADHD and Their Relationship to Performance on EF Tests". Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment. 33 (2): 137–158.
doi:
10.1007/s10862-011-9217-x.
ISSN1573-3505.
^
abDupaul, George J.; Barkley, Russell A.; McMurray, Mary B. (1991). "Therapeutic Effects of Medication on ADHD: Implications for School Psychologists". School Psychology Review. 20 (2): 203–219.
doi:
10.1080/02796015.1991.12085546.