Book SummaryScattered Minds, by Gabor Maté

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Scattered Minds

In his 1999 book Scattered Minds, Gabor Maté argues that if you have ADHD, it’s because early childhood stress prevented you from developing the emotional-cognitive capacities you need to thrive in our world. Further, since ADHD isn’t just a biological disorder but one with social and psychological roots, he argues that medication isn’t the best or only way to treat your ADHD. Based on this perspective, he prescribes non-pharmaceutical treatments for both adults and children with ADHD and explains how society can prevent ADHD in future generations.

Maté is an internationally...

Scattered Minds Summary Part 1: Understanding Your ADHD Brain

Maté says that ADHD, which stands for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is a neurodevelopmental condition—if you have ADHD, it’s because your brain didn’t develop typically and now works differently than other brains. (Shortform note: Maté refers to this condition as ADD, which stands for Attention-Deficit Disorder, because he was working from an older edition of the DSM—the official handbook of mental health diagnoses. We’re using ADHD instead because it’s the currently accepted name for this condition.)

In this section, we’ll help you understand your ADHD brain more fully. First, we’ll explore what it feels like to have ADHD. Then, we’ll explain why Maté says you have an ADHD brain and discuss the brain differences that contribute to ADHD symptoms.

What It Feels Like to Have ADHD

Maté explains that **if you have ADHD, you experience at least two of three primary symptoms: difficulty with attention, difficulty...

Scattered Minds Summary Part 2: You Can Heal Your ADHD

Since ADHD results from the underdevelopment of your brain and psyche, Maté theorizes that you can heal your ADHD by leveraging brain plasticity—your brain’s ongoing reactivity to environmental stimuli—to your advantage. In this section, we’ll discuss the theory behind Maté’s approach to healing ADHD. Then, we’ll present some concrete steps you can take to promote healing in yourself and in your children.

Maté’s Theory of Healing

Maté says that doctors tend to treat ADHD like it’s a purely medical problem by prescribing medication—and nothing else—for it. He believes that this approach is fundamentally unsuitable and calls for a more holistic plan for healing ADHD. Let’s dig more deeply into his theory of healing.

(Shortform note: Medication may have been the primary treatment for ADHD in the ’90s, but now, most experts recommend a combination of behavioral therapy and medication to treat ADHD in...

Scattered Minds Summary Part 3: The Future of ADHD

Beyond healing your own ADHD, Maté says you can also play a role in the future of ADHD by preventing ADHD. In this section, we’ll explore the role society plays in the prevalence of ADHD and the changes society can make to diminish it.

Maté says that ADHD is preventable if you provide sensitive children with a healthy, stress-free early childhood. Instead of developing ADHD, their brains will develop typically, and they’ll grow into functional adults whose sensitivity helps them excel in life, rather than hindering their progress. According to Maté, if every parent could provide this for their children, ADHD wouldn’t exist.

(Shortform note: Maté favors preventing ADHD because he believes that ADHD is inherently detrimental—it makes life harder, so it should be eradicated. However, in recent years, activists belonging to the neurodiversity movement have argued just the opposite: ADHD is a brain difference, not a deficit, and it only seems to impair function because the world isn’t set up to accommodate people with brain differences. Neurodiversity advocates don’t believe that ADHD should be eradicated—instead,...

Shortform Exercise: Create a Self-Care Plan

Recall that Maté believes that the best way to heal your ADHD is by re-parenting yourself (taking care of your physical and psychological needs). In this exercise, you’ll create a plan to put that advice into action.

What are you already doing to take care of yourself? Consider both your physical needs (e.g., nutrition and exercise) and your psychological needs (e.g., self-acceptance and restorative recreation).