A New Perspective - I found this book to be a much clearer description of my symptoms and behaviors than previous books I've read. Dr. Mate touches on areas that I have intuitively thought played a role in my behavior, that have not been discussed elsewhere. My wife thought he had written my biography. This book discusses a theory regarding the cause of ADD and has provided me with the clearest explanation and understanding of my experiences with ADD that I have been able to find. I also found the discussions of motivation, self-esteem, and anxiety to be extremely helpful. This book will not provide the reader with all the solutions one might be looking for, but it may offer an explanation that one has not seen before.

~Patrick from Madison, WI

Now You Will Understand the Cause of Attention Deficit Disorder - This phenomenal book, Scattered, by Dr. Gabor Mate, goes beyond causing us to totally rethink anything we thought we knew about Attention Deficit Disorder. Dr. Mate introduces us to an eye- opening concept that the cause of ADD is that children (he explains that it's due to what is called a lack of attunement between parent and child) are often not registering and processing the love of even the most caring parents. The author does a masterful job of explaining why this is so. Suddenly, one appreciates just how much knowledge and awareness must go in to the complex job of parenting. Dr. Mate truly has a gift for sharing this information in a way that will mesmerize readers of this inspiring book. After reading Scattered, many will no doubt come to the realization that they, or someone they love, may suffer from ADD or Adult ADD. I owe Dr. Mate a debt of gratitude for clarifying why so many people are experiencing such hurt and pain. Needless to say, I recommend this book as being crucially important for anyone who has reached a point of desperation in terms of understanding the cause of their emotional problems. This book should be mandatory reading for every teacher - for anyone who works with children. Thank you, Dr. Mate for your intuitive insights and this groundbreaking work that could change the world by impacting on all the generations to come.

~ Amy Keehn from Portland, OR

Still learning after all these years - I read this book when it first came out, I think my son was 5 at the time. I always kept the message, that the long term objective was not symptom control or even behavior control, but development. That is the book in a nutshell. Try to understand your child, and make his development as a human being the most important thing...it's extraordinarily hard and forces you to grow up as a parent and think of your child first. Common sense that is not so common. And it is NOT a quick solution. It was something my parents figured out a long time ago; when some of my friends wanted to run away because of mistreatment as teenagers, we always knew we had it too good. Understanding beats the hell out of beatings...

Be forwarned, don't read this book unless you really want to be there for your child...We all are guilty of being human and making millions of mistakes, and most kids are easy to raise in compared to the "sensitive" child. This book just asks you to be compassionate. It is so hard, but so rewarding.

~Rose from Columbia, South Carolina United States

: "The best thing for being sad is to learn something." - Having been in therapy longer than Woody Allen, I practice what Karl Menninger called 'bibliotherapy'-i.e., reading widely and deeply in the field of mental or emotional disorders. Since I'm a voracious reader, and since I've been doing this for twenty years, I sometimes feel there isn't much left for a layman to learn, or at least nothing much that could be called new. But Dr. Mate's book is wonderfully helpful on two fronts: first, it is a "why-you-or-your -child-are-like-this" book, and second, it is a "and-here-is-what-you-can-do-to-allieviate-the-condition"book. Not cure it, mind you, just make the cards you drew a little easier to play.

On the first front, the neurobiology of ADD, Dr. Mate makes his point conclusively: this disorder arises first in the infant, in how he or she is wired-or not-and it occurs in the make-up of the hypersensitive baby, highly aware and from the very beginning suffering at the smallest slings and arrows life offers. Resilient children roll with the punches; ADD kids are flattened by them and get back up more slowly. Momma used to call this type "high-strung" and, boy, was she ever right. Dr. Mate even points out a study done on the vagus nerve of five-month old babies that turns out to be highly predictive of which of them will later, at fourteen months, prove to be "more reactive to maternal separation." In other words, ADD could as well serve as an acronym for Attachment Deficit Disorder. People who are hypersensitive have a disordered attachment to their caretakers that is pre-verbal and pervasive. One had better learn to deal with the fact that the fault is mainly synpatical, not social. My family doctor told me that my then-nine-year-old son suffered from severe separation anxiety because he hadn't been in pre-school or away from his parents enough. Fortunately, a more knowledgeable child psychiatrist said it was inborn so we could relax and quit blaming ourselves. Whew....

That doesn't mean that experiencing this hypersensitivity isn't damaging, even with a more-than-good-enough mother. Or that nurturing a hypersensitive child is easy. It is much more tiring and trying to deal with the ADD child than it is with his or her more resilient sibling.The ADD child triggers anxiety in even the most competent parent. So, it is on the second front, the practical things to do, that this book is most helpful, even hopeful. I return to it again and again (that is, when I haven't mislaid it in one of my more driven ADD moments) to remind myself what to do and what not to do to help myself and my similarly-wired son. For instance, the section on the counter-will-an idea I'd not heard before-made me understand why I am more often than not so suspicious of authority figures. I used to think it was very adolescent of me, and now Dr. Mate tells me it is, and that this is a component of ADD. It was from this notion of a counter-will that I began my search on ways to strengthen the will itself, so as to disengage this adversarial part of me, the counter-will, that aspect of us that doesn't trust. It has been an interesting and fruitful search and I am grateful to Dr. Mate for giving me new ways to think about this way of being in the world.

By the time the ADD child arrives at school, the disconnectedness is ingrained. We are attuned to every slight, intended or not. Other kids find ADDers just as trying as the grown-ups do-it takes a lot of energy to interact with a 'wild child' who hogs the teacher's attention or a distracted one whose hypersensitivity presents the perfect opportunity to torture for fun and profit. I've yet to find an ADD adult who liked the social aspects of school, or didn't have horror stories about cruel peers and teachers...

The most important chapters for me have been the ones on medication and on self-parenting. The first, medication, gives the limits of pharmocological help for this disorder. It is very clear about what medicine can and cannot do and the importance of finding a knowledgeable physician. The second, self-parenting, seems like a Mobius strip until Dr. Mate takes apart the results of life-time conditioning and explains the qualities one needs-compassion for self and others, curiosity rather than blame or judgment-in order to embark on a course of change. Whether one has to structure things by herself, or has the good fortune to find competent professional help, Dr. Mate's book is of inestimable help on that journey.

In fact, every time my ADD tendencies pop up and I lose my copy of Scattered, I buy another. And now that my stepson has been diagnosed with ADD, I have an extra copy or two to give his suffering parents, though I would not be without this book.

Scattered is definitely a keeper.

~ A Reader from Howardsville, VA USA

After all these Years- Every once in a while, a book comes along that dramatically changes the way you think. After all these years, just when I thought I read everything there was to know about ADD, Dr. Gabor Mate writes such a compelling book, that I must rethink what I have learned and stubbornly believed about the origins and outcomes for children and adults with ADD. In the Footprints of Infancy Chapter, I had an epiphany regarding my own life and the lives of my children. As a school psychologist who works with teachers, I have learned how to better meet the needs of children with ADD in the classroom, and how to explain the power of a teacher to those who work with these children. Read this book! It will give you the knowledge, hope, and the tools to improve your life. Scattered will help you understand your spouse, child and students.

~ Linda Halperin, Ed.S from Morristown NJ USA

Kind and Insightful - I have read nearly everything out there on ADD, for many years. Many of my family members, as well as myself, have ADD. I have also researched all related subjects from neurology to chemistry to genetics. I must say this is the best book I've read on the subject. Instead of vaguely listing traits and behavioral/rienforcement "corrections", he delves deep into our emotions, deep into our past, and finds the keys to the behaviors. You will find the journey fascinating. He discovers the tie of inborn sensitivity to ADD, which was where my extensive research was leading me, also. He separates the negative issues from the positive ones in ADD for the purpose of reassuring us that to let go of the negative doesn't squash or choke the many positive aspects of a person with ADD. This book will help you forgive a loved one with ADD for being confusing and hurtful at times, and it will help you forgive yourself if you have ADD, with reality, not theory. This book is no fluff. Gabor Mate, (a person with ADD himself) understands ADD. I consider this a must-read.

~A reader from Vistas, California

Applauding Gabor Mate. I applaud Gabor Mate for the remarkable contribution he has made to the literature on Attention Deficit Disorder in his book Scattered. Due to both personal and professional interest, I have read and recommended many books and articles on this topic. I find that Scattered has become the first book I recommend to colleagues, clients and anyone interested in learning about, or ruling out ADD. Feedback is consistent with my own reaction--this is a comprehensive and insightful book--an easy, informative, valuable, read for professional and lay people. The role of biology/nature is described so well that the non-scientific reader gains a new level of understanding. When it comes to the role of nurture/environment--Mate truly shines-- capturing the experience of ADD with an insiders wisdom and a refreshing openness, bringing the reader understanding, comfort, hope and pathways to healing. The material on parenting (ADD and the child) is excellent---could be part of a parenting handbook. His writing on change and growth and his understanding of what causes adults to struggle have value across the board --whatever the issues are. One does not have to have, or work with ADD to enjoy and benefit from Scattered.

~ M.Burke LCSW from New Jersey

Finally, the answers! Do you wonder why you do and feel all of the weird things you do and feel? If it's due to Attention Deficit Disorder, you'll be thrilled with this compassionate, user-friendly book. Dr. Mate is personal, clear, and non-blaming in his explanations, insights, and suggestions for healing. His approach to medication usage is conservative but balanced. He and several of his children have ADD, and he shares honestly about his struggles with the symptoms. The book offers an excellent tapestry of the neurological and the psychological. I found that I now had an understanding of the "neurology behind the psychology." 

~ Nancy Guenther (see more about me) from Illinois

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An insightful, humane perspective. The ADHD world seems to have split into several definable camps -- the neo-Darwinist doomsayers like Barkley who say flat-out that ADD is "of no value whatsoever" and is purely a sickness; the deniers like Breggin and Rush Limbaugh who think it's a conspiracy by doctors or liberals; the geneticists like Comings who suggest ADDers shouldn't breed to keep from contaminating our gene-pool; and those like Lucy Jo Pallidino who consider it a "context disorder," a collection of traits that may be useful in some times and places but is generally not a good match for the way our schools are currently set up (I consider myself in this category).

Now comes Gabor Mate, an insightful, no-nonsense, and thoroughly compassionate physician who provides an overview of all these perspectives and comes to the marvelously humane conclusion that ADD/ADHD is neither nature (genetics) nor nurture (parenting/environment) but, rather, the result of the collision of a predisposing nature with an ADD-hostile life situation, family, school, or job. How refreshing!

Gabor Mate has made a valuable contribution to the ADD/ADHD world, and this book not only offers thoughts on what it is and where it came from, but also is chock full of useful, real-world solutions for the problems people with ADD confront in a world increasingly run by bureaucrats and farmers.

Highly recommended!

~ Thom Hartmann

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Reading this book was the best thing that ever happened to me. For me as a 49-years-old with only recently diagnosed ADD, it is of more therapeutic value than a good 17 years of psychotherapy have been. One reason is that I feel understood for the first time in my life. Another reason is formed by Maté's clear explanations on how to treat myself in order to make room for personal growth and development. In short: a jewel.

~ B.J. van Kesteren from The Netherlands

Dr. Mate writes a book that is both informative and from the heart. As 43 year old adult female, recently attempting to negotiate the challenging journey of being assessed for ADD, I found the book both validating and hopeful with very practical information about the next steps once the diagnosis is made. The book goes beyond the stereotype of the hyperactive child or dysfunctional underachieving adult to give a more accurate view of the many ways ADD can manifest in adults and children. He also is very realistic about what medications can and can not do. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ADD, may think they are ADD, has a child, student or significant other with ADD. There is clear concise information for each of these audiences. Thank you Dr. Gabor for such a wonderful book!

~ A reader from the United States

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This is a must read if your child has ADD. This is the only book I've found on ADD that actually explains -- in concrete terms -- the science behind ADD symptoms outside of a obligatory chapter. And I think the advice on parenting is practical and feasible -- moreover, Mate shares his mistakes and lets us learn from them.

~ A reader from Seattle

Excellent book. Give it as a gift! A wonderful book on the insights of ADD. Helpful for Parents who really want to understand what their child is going through with ADD. How you can help your child cope better with with this problem, and how you can help improve your child.

~ A reader from Washington, U.S.A

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An excellent, well researched book. Highly recommended.  Dr. Mate, who has ADD himself and who is the father of three children with ADD, provides information about brain development and theorizes that ADD results from problems in bonding that effect brain development. He discusses addiction as related to ADD and the lack of bonding. He provides a method of treatment that addresses the underlying dynamic rather than dealing more superficially. As someone with ADD myself, experience in working with autistic and learning disabled children, and a strong interest in curative emotional relationships, I have found this book incredibly insightful and useful. It is strongly recommended to professionals as well as clients and families. It is written with respect and compassion and refrains from blaming parents for their children's difficulties.

~ A reader from the United States

A provocative book that offers insights and hope. SCATTERED is filled with insights into possible origins of A.D.D. in early-life contexts. I found Dr. Mate's research very helpful in uncovering these origins in myself. One of my main problems as an artist is focusing long enough on one creative project to actually accomplish it. By pinpointing possible origins in myself I am dissolving negative energy investments. I seek daily to re-gather this energy & to apply it to creative projects for a more fulfilling life. Also, I use the material in SCATTERED to enrich dwelling on the Earth by un-focusing on what is not important & discovering what is. Thank you & Good Luck!

~ Gary Clark, Clearwater Beach, Florida

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