We all know those people; those ‘driven’ sorts who never stop doing something. Those polymaths who always have a different project on the go, and who seem to make time for everything. Those renaissance creatures who are always attaining a goal and who are seemingly carried along on a wave of blissful achievement. Us mortals watch them enviably and toast them good luck while finding fulfilment by watching TV reality shows and planning next year’s holiday on a budget.

By contrast, we are ‘outraged’ by the epidemic levels of bad behaviour in schools. Is it in the ‘E’ numbers? Is it in the fluoride? Is it the teachers or the parents? Is it the collapse of society, as we know it? Or is it that ADHD thing we keep hearing about? Give them a good dose of Ritalin and we can all live quiet lives.

Michael Fitzgerald, in his book, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Creativity, Novelty Seeking and Risk, argues persuasively that these über-achievers and so-called delinquents are not so far removed from each other in terms of their insatiable quest for the new; going so far to as suggest that the very roots of our civilisation are grounded in the capricious restlessness of our forebears’ thirst for new stimulation and novelty-seeking - which, of course, means taking risks. As he points out: "We would not have moved out of Africa without being genetically pre-programmed for exploration."

Most importantly for those affected by the consequences of ADHD, Professor Fitzgerald (an eminent psychiatrist at Trinity College Dublin- by coincidence the alma mater of one of his most flamboyant subjects, Oscar Wilde), who has written extensively about Autism Spectrum Disorders, has not only taken a historical approach to this condition, but also one that hints at ADHD as being a recurring factor in creative greatness; be that in the fields of the arts, exploration, invention or, indeed, criminality.

Thankfully, he avoids the reductionist interpretation of many of those working in the psychology arena of calling mastery, attained by relentless practice, "genius". It is true that in order to realise genius, application bordering on the obsessive is generally necessary. However, it has become too common recently for popularist social commentators to confound the two. Malcolm Gladwell’s much-trumpeted declaration that, in order to achieve greatness, 10,000 hours of practice is all that is needed, has no doubt given hope to the ‘I could have been a contender’, X-factor aspirational contingent. A couple of reservations spring to mind; firstly, 10,000 hours represents well over five years of continuous graft and toil without holidays. How many of us are willing or capable of making such commitment? Secondly, even with this hard work and dedication, greatness (let alone genius) is not guaranteed. Think of the number of highly-skilled orchestral and session musicians working today whose competence cannot be questioned although their position in the pantheon of genius can.

What Professor Fitzgerald’s book admirably illustrates is that ADHD can, in the right circumstances, be viewed as, not just as being associated with delinquency, (as tabloid folklore would have us believe) but as a fertiliser helping to germinate a seed of untapped potential. It is not a guarantee of genius, but the focused work rate that it induces may enable creative genius to flourish. To illustrate this point, he examines the lives range of notable achievers as disparate as Richard Wagner and Jesse James; Thomas Edison and Kurt Cobain - any book that can bring together such a colourful crowd has to be admired!

But, most importantly, this book will give a sense of understanding to parents and educators as well as adding to the general understanding of the human mind.