Dr. Gabor Maté has become one of the most recognisable voices discussing trauma, illness and ADHD. His books, podcasts and media appearances have reached millions. While many people find aspects of his work connect with their experience, a bit like star-signs in astrology, popularity is not the same as scientific evidence.
Maté had a terrible start in life caught up in the horrific effects of war in 1944. He was a Jewish infant under Nazi occupation: his maternal grandparents were killed at Auschwitz when he was five months old, and at around one year old his mother handed him to a stranger for roughly three weeks to keep him safe and he describes a lasting sense of abandonment that he traces through his adult life. He became a family doctor who has been in private practice most of his working life in Canada working with addiction, HIV and as a medical coordinator of the palliative care unit and latterly as a guru. There is a gravitas about his appearance and delivery.
He shares a few common themes in his podcasts and media interview identifying conditions under which people develop chronic illness. He identifies people who suppress their emotions (not defined-Is that carrying on or not acknowledging feelings?), or people who fail to put themselves first (parents and carers/ other roles are required at least for periods to put others first?) or people who experience unresolved trauma-in these situations these people are more likely to develop chronic illnesses, including cancer and inflammatory diseases. Trauma can undoubtedly affect mental and physical health, increasing stress and influencing behaviours that impact wellbeing. However, there is no reliable evidence that ’emotional suppression’ so-called, causes cancer or that trauma alone explains chronic physical illness. These are extraordinarily complex conditions involving genetics, lifestyle, environment and chance. For Maté, everything stems from early childhood experience,(and his experience was clearly deeply traumatic) but in his theories the prevalence of trauma is undefined but seemingly summed up by any adverse experience such as the crushing of a little child’s spirit and ability to become their own person etc.) Mental health issues and struggles in adulthood are directly associated to the early experience making everyone a victim of their parenting and family environment.
His views on ADHD are even more concerning. In Scattered Minds, Dr Maté argues that ADHD develops because of stress within pregnancy, early childhood experiences, stress or the emotional environment created by parents. This is not the conclusion reached by decades of ADHD research.
Large genetic studies consistently show that ADHD is one of the most heritable neurodevelopmental conditions, with around 70-80% of the variation in risk explained by inherited genetic factors. Family environment contributes relatively little to whether someone develops ADHD, although it can influence how symptoms are managed and how well someone functions. There are also other conditions that can resemble ADHD, including prenatal alcohol exposure and some acquired brain injuries, which require careful assessment.
The danger of promoting trauma, however it is defined! as the primary cause of ADHD against the evidence, is that it shifts responsibility onto parents and families and victimizes the person with the traits. Parents already carry enormous guilt when raising children with neurodevelopmental conditions. Suggesting they caused their child’s ADHD through stress, attachment or parenting risks increasing shame, conflict and blame while distracting families from the hundreds of academic publications by specialists in the field showing that this clearly not the case.
Traumatic experience and adverse events are part of life. Some experience more than others and there are people who need support to resolve and recover from those single or multiple experiences. There are levels of traumatic experience and a range of severity of impact and resilience building may stem from some experience of challenging events and experiences to prepare us for adulthood. Equally, ADHD is a genuine neurodevelopmental condition with a substantial genetic basis. The two are not mutually exclusive. Someone with ADHD has an increased chance of trauma due to an increase in impulse and risk taking behaviour and being in an environment that is not naturally constructed for them when their actions could be misunderstood. Trauma can worsen ADHD symptoms, but the evidence is clear that correlation is not causality with the ADHD.
As therapists and healthcare professionals, we have an ethical responsibility to distinguish between compelling stories and robust evidence. Personal theories, however well told, should never replace decades of high-quality scientific research.
People seeking help deserve accurate information, not explanations that may be emotionally appealing but unsupported by the weight of evidence and actually cause harm and conflict in families. Celebrity status, bestselling books and speaking tours do not make a theory true. Dr. Maté is a rich man who has sold his claims and established an avid following across the world. His speaking fees reportedly run $50,000–$75,000 per engagement. He may believe what he says but lives are affected by the advice professionals give. Maté trains professionals all over the world in his online trainings and parents and families require their supporting professionals to be evidence-based in the advice they give. Professional Therapy and professional associations in the UK should be wary of what they promote for clinician and therapist training.
*Atrium Clinic supports parents and families when there are young people with neurodivergence and we offer evidence based training in ADHD coaching .
