Remembering that temper in the AHDH context is an automatic anxiety response. It is the reaction of a person who cannot tolerate the feelings of anxiety. If we sooth the anxiety the temper should calm. So, our collective workaholism––whether chosen or coerced––could be one of the main drivers of the ADD epidemic. Combine that with the meteoric rise of social media and its attendant mental health risks; the capitalistic incentives of pharmaceutical companies that produce drugs like Ritalin, Adderall, and Dexedrine; and the profit margins of insurance companies that act as gatekeepers to “legitimate” treatment; and you’ve got a real mess on your hands. All of this is purely speculative, so take it with a grain of salt, but it was interesting and fun for me to knit these threads together and I thought it might be helpful to share this part of my learning and exploration process. So Maté's book interested me. His thesis: genetics and childhood attachment both play a part in ADHD. Then he shifts over to speak about epigenetics and how past history affects the genes, which in turn creates changes in the brain of a developing fetus and a child is born with ADD. Thank you, Miles, for your thoughtful review. I do feel Emma makes an excellent point, and would like to reiterate that the current scientific understanding of ADHD includes a neurodiverse physiology, with neurotransmitter levels and processing and other elements of brain function that differ observably from those of a so-called neurotypical brain. ADHD is as heritable as height, and occurs across cultures. Different cultures may take different moral or social stances on many of the behaviors associated with ADHD, and might not all be as punitive or shaming as the dominant culture in the U.S., of course.

Something that’s good to point out up front is that Maté himself has ADD, so he writes about it from an intimate, internal perspective. This confessional style doesn’t always hit the mark in nonfiction, but in this case I think he pulled it off beautifully. Describing his initial “ADD epiphany,” he writes: I was diagnosed with ADD at a young age and was subjected to the medications at doses that would have been too much for an adult. This wreaked havoc on my psyche, and I am still recovering from those years. Quitting was just as hard being on it- the fallout and withdrawal were some of the worst days of my life. For a long time, I disavowed everything about ADD- the medication, the diagnosis, even its existence for others. The pain was too great. This is something Gabor Mate understands and explains in this book. This book is amazing and really changed my thinking about ADD/ADHD. Maté describes in detail how ADHD is not genetic, but how a genetically sensitive brain protects itself with ADD behaviors. I've become a bit of an evangelist about this book, since I see things so differently now. Things to learn in this book: Unconditional Positive Regard, Counterwill, Wooing the Child, Unfinished Business. It seemed to me that I had found the passage of those dark recesses of my mind from which chaos issues without warning, hurling thoughts, plans, emotions and intentions in all directions. I felt I had discovered what it was that had always kept me from attaining psychological integrity: wholeness, the reconciliation and joining together of the disharmonious fragments of my mind… I don't have ADD, as far as anyone can tell, but share enough of the challenges related to it that this book helped a lot.As I told a friend, I believe ADHD will one day be banished and we'll learn, we all have different brains - which is a good thing. We won't work so hard to force everyone to conform - that's my hope for the future. Living with ADHD is what I describe to people as "beautifully abstract and creative." I grew up in a home with two solid parents who supported my creative brain and encouraged me to explore the world, through my eyes -not the eyes of society or that of the school system. I have learned over the years how to organize and adhere to a time schedule; I still lose my keys on a regular basis, but seriously, who doesn't. I have strong childhood memories and my family didn't move every year. As I said, I wasn't nor were my parents written into this book. Nor were many others who I know, who lived and grew up similar to me and have ADHD. Never at rest the mind of the ADHD adult flits about like some deranged bird that can light here or there for a while but is perched no-where long enough to make a home.”

ADHD children often do not believe their parents want to spend time with them because there is an interruption in the parent-child attachment. Purposely inviting the child to spend time with one or both parents regularly can calm some of the child’s fears and lessen some separation anxiety most children have. Hi Emma! Thanks for taking the time to read my review and share your input. Given that I’m neither a doctor nor an expert on ADHD, I’ll take your word for it. For my part, I found Maté’s point of view instructive, but I certainly don’t think it’s the only (or necessarily the best) perspective with which we can productively approach the problem of ADHD. There is a genetic component to this development, but it isn’t genetically predetermined. Genes are blueprints. They’re plans for how the proteins which regulate the structure and function of cells get synthesized. But plans contain potential. How that potential is expressed is a question of circumstance. Take the neurological circuitry involved in sight. The plans for this circuitry are encoded in genetic material. But the development of eyesight depends on environmental factors. If an infant who is genetically capable of developing perfectly good eyesight spends his first five years in a dark room, he’ll be blind for life. Without the input of lightwaves, this visual circuitry atrophies and dies, leaving his genetic potential unexpressed. The book also covers the specific behaviours we would see in children, the markers of low self-esteem that arise (and how to handle those), the issue of ‘counterwill’ and how to support teens who are showing that, the impact of implicit memory (and why the attachment issue is so important), how to self-parent yourself if you have ADHD and addictions (which have been found to be higher in those with ADHD).PDF / EPUB File Name: Scattered_Minds__The_Origins_and_Healing_o_-_Gabor_Mate.pdf, Scattered_Minds__The_Origins_and_Healing_o_-_Gabor_Mate.epub Scattered is GREAT. It's one of the best books on ADD I've read yet, and I'm so glad I'm reading it. What I'm appreciating is that he doesn't pander, and he doesn't wrap it up as simply a brain function issue, which is what I've felt to be true. I'm personally convinced that my experience isn't just biology. I don't think I'd be the way I am if I didn't live in a culture that is saturated with information, that removes us far from our natural rhythms, that requires me to be vigilant all the time, that values achievement to a degree that's ridiculous, that insists on fast and "good enough" over the spacious reflection and full consideration that engenders much better than good enough... I could go on. Those things are challenges for everyone, but they are excruciating for someone who has the misfortune of a certain set of developmental sensitivities and brain function challenges. Maté has evidence that supports this instinct of mine, so it's been fascinating to see the facts behind it.