John Kruse MD. PhD

John Kruse, M.D., Ph.D., is a neuroscientist, psychiatrist, and author of the book, “Recognizing Adult ADHD: What Donald Trump Can Teach Us About Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.” With 25 years of psychiatry experience, Dr. Kruse specializes in treating adults with ADHD.

After graduating Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude in three years from the University of Rochester, John remained in Rochester to complete his medical degree and to earn a Ph.D. in Neuroscience with a dissertation on the effects of antidepressants on circadian rhythms. While at Rochester he also helped design early research using bright lights to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder, assisted in launching The Journal of the University of Rochester Medical Center, and won multiple awards for his writing and research. He moved to San Francisco in 1990, completing a psychiatry residency at UCSF and receiving an Outstanding Resident in Psychiatry award from the National Institute of Mental Health.

In 1994, one of his first patients, a man in his mid-forties with classic ADHD symptoms who had been told that adults couldn’t have the condition, launched Dr. Kruse on the road to learning more about adult ADHD. Hundreds of patients over the ensuing 25 years contributed to Dr. Kruse's journey in learning how to recognize ADHD; treat ADHD effectively with cognitive behavioral therapy, medications, exercise, diet, and meditation; and help patients deal with partners, families, co-workers, and teachers who did not grasp how ADHD affects individuals. In addition to direct patient care, he has taught basic psychopharmacology to psychotherapy interns for 25 years, and has spoken at local, state, and national psychiatry conferences.

When he’s not treating patients, John has coached novice runners training for marathons, as well as completing 100 marathons himself. In addition to being the newsletter editor and columnist for over a decade for his local running club, he has also published articles on running, nature, and politics. John and his husband are parents of thriving twin teenage girls.