Agora: Red Deer Polytechnic Undergraduate Journal
Volume 16:1 2025 Agora Conference Proceedings

The Science Tells Us to Give Gabor Maté
a Fair Shake
Lucas Rahn
Western first-world nations such as the United States and
Canada are seeing a decline in their population’s well-being,
health, and life expectancy (United Nations), while at the same
time also experiencing a rise in crises such as the mental health
crisis (CAMH) and the opioid epidemic (Bains). Gabor Maté, a
Canadian physician, argues, particularly in his most recent book,
The Myth of Normal, that these Western first-world nations fail
to recognize the societal and cultural factors, which show
themselves through trauma, as the main factor in driving these
trends. He argues Western first-world nations have an overemphasis on the individual, particularly biological/genetic
factors, as the main explanations for mental health issues and
disease. Through his medical practice, his publications, and
online media interviews, Maté calls for a more holistic approach
to health and wellness that centres around the body-mind
connection, and he recognizes “emotional suffering in…
physical illness and the embodiment of mental illness”
(Haslam). In Nick Haslam’s 2023 article, “Gabor Maté Claims
Trauma Contributes to Everything: From Cancer to ADHD. But

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What Does the Evidence Say?” is a critique of these claims, as
well as a critique of Maté's simplification of the culmination of
factors that impact mental health and disease. Haslam argues
that Maté oversimplifies the causes that affect overall personal
health. Haslam feels that Maté places too much emphasis on
experiences of trauma during early childhood and disregards
other factors contributing to overall health, such as biological
influences like genetics. Haslam argues that we should listen to
Maté but take both his diagnosis and prescription for the
problem with a grain of salt, as, to quote Haslam, Maté
sometimes veers towards “quackery”. However, Maté may, in
fact, be right, and while a skeptical approach similar to Haslam
is merited, after looking at the scientific evidence that is
increasingly supporting Maté’s claims, Maté’s claims should be
taken more seriously. Furthermore, Haslam’s assertion that there
is little to no scientific evidence supporting trauma's role in
health is incorrect., similarly, Haslam’s argument that Maté
unjustly dismisses the genetic contribution’s role in health is also
false. Lastly, Haslam’s condemnation of what he considers some
of Maté’s “more out there claims” such as advocacy of
psychedelics to be unfair, and unjustly dismissive.
One argument that Haslam makes that dissuades him
from believing Maté’s claims is that he feels there is insufficient
scientific evidence to support them. Haslam writes, “[t]hese and

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other strong claims about links between personality and illness
overstate the scientific evidence - which typically finds them to
be small, absent or inconsistent with the hypothesis of excessive
responsibility” (Haslam). Haslam argues that Maté imposes a
limited and overly simplistic view of overall health, placing
excessive emphasis on the impact of trauma on both mental and
physical well-being. While skepticism is warranted when strong
claims are made, it should still be equally important to consider
any claim carefully and give them a fair evaluation. There is a
growing body of evidence supporting Maté’s claims regarding
the role of trauma in contributing to overall physical and mental
health. Published in 2024, a study conducted by Germany’s
largest health study, The German National Cohort (NAKO
Gesundheitsstudie), investigated the association between
childhood trauma and a multiplicity of somatic and mental
illnesses in adulthood. The results of the study determined that
there was a definitive and quantifiable association: people with
childhood trauma were more likely to bear a diagnosis of all of
the studied conditions such as cancer, depression, anxiety
disorders, cardiac health, stroke, diabetes, etc., (Klinger-König
et al.). This evidence supports Maté's claim that trauma affects
both mental and physical health. This finding strengthens the
validity of his argument by supporting the idea, that health and
wellness are centered around the body-mind connection, and

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trauma, which disrupts this connection, negatively affects
physical and mental health. This evidence also serves as a clear
counter to Haslam’s argument that Maté’s claims lack the
scientific basis to support them. Now that it is clear there is
scientific evidence supporting trauma's role in health, Haslam’s
other argument should also be considered: that Maté "dismisses
the genetic contribution" when examining factors that affect our
health (Haslam).
Another argument that Haslam makes that dissuades him
from believing Maté’s claims is that he feels that Maté
“dismisses the genetic contribution”—which Haslam believes is
backed by scientific evidence—when looking at factors that
impact our health (Haslam). For example, when Haslam
discusses Maté’s book Scattered Minds, in which Maté claims
that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) results
from childhood trauma as a coping mechanism, rather than being
a genetic or heritable disease, Haslam argues, “[t]his unorthodox
position, […] dismisses the genetic contribution to the condition
and links it to sensitivity and anxiety” (Haslam). Although Maté
tends to lean towards the "nurture" side of the nature vs. nurture
debate, this approach is justified in the case of ADHD. Maté is
not arguing that ADHD is caused more by environmental factors
or trauma than by genetics; rather, he claims that we have
misunderstood ADHD entirely. According to him, trauma is the

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sole cause of ADHD. An article published in the medical journal
Current Psychiatry Reports in 2020 determined that recent
studies have concluded that the genetic contribution, or
heritability of ADHD which was previously assessed as being
80%, are now estimating the proportion of heritability at 22%
(Grimm et al.). This reduction in the estimate of genetics being
a primary factor to a small factor is a radical shift away from the
traditional belief that it is a hereditary brain disorder, which
gives merit for alternative perspectives such as Maté assessment
of ADHD. Another study that supports Maté's take on ADHD
was a study that examined the relations between childhood
trauma, ADHD, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in
college students (Miodus et al.). It found that students who had
ADHD had experienced higher rates of trauma or symptoms of
PTSD. It also found that these students were generally depressed
and experienced trauma reminders indicative of the presence of
post traumatic stress. Once again, this aligns with Maté’s beliefs
about trauma’s role in ADHD. At the same time, it challenges
Haslam's argument that Maté oversimplifies the causes of
personal health issues. In this case, recent findings suggest it’s
becoming less likely that biological factors like genetics are
responsible, and more likely that Maté’s perspective, which
emphasizes the impact of trauma, reflects the direction in which
the science is heading towards.

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Haslam also critiques Maté’s advocacy towards the use
of psychedelics, which Haslam calls “radical.” This is meant to
discredit Maté in hopes to weaken Maté’s character, and
therefore his arguments (Haslam). The use of psychedelics and
other plant medicines are far from novel; for centuries, on a
world-wide scale, Indigenous peoples have used these
substances in spiritual and healing practices. The western world
is simply skeptical toward psychedelics, which stems from
cultural biases that often frame these substances as dangerous or
bad rather than therapeutic (George et al.). It is a fact that these
substances are extraordinarily powerful and have the potential to
shape our mental health (Tupper et al.). Increasingly, these
substances are being recognized by psychologists and are being
used to help treat people such as veterans or retired police with
PTSD.

Studies have shown that psychedelics such as

psilocybin, LSD, MDMA, and Ayahuasca are very successful at
treating symptoms of PTSD, which modern medicine is
incapable of replicating (Tupper et al.). Maté suggests that these
substances should be used in the right circumstances (and
acknowledges they are not for everyone), but they can open the
door, so-to-speak, and pull back the curtain on one’s life. They
allow for deep introspection and allow you to identify areas
where you are disconnected from your body and mind (The Myth
of Normal). The preliminary scientific evidence is there, and that

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Maté’s educated advocacy for these substances is justified.
Haslam was therefore incorrect to use this topic as a point of
criticism against Maté.
In

conclusion,

Haslam’s

criticisms

that

Maté

oversimplifies the causes of personal health by focusing too
heavily on trauma while disregarding other factors, such as
biological influences like genetics, along with his view of Maté’s
opinions verging on quackery, though based on skepticism, are
unjustified. There is a growing body of research supporting
Maté’s claims that health and wellness are based on the bodymind connection, and anything that disrupts that connection, the
biggest factor being trauma, negatively affects both physical and
mental health as a result. This was argued by challenging
Haslam’s assertion that there is little to no scientific evidence
supporting trauma's role in health, through the identification of
a definitive and quantifiable association between childhood
trauma and a multiplicity of somatic and mental illnesses in
adulthood. Haslam’s opinion that Maté unjustly dismisses the
genetic contribution’s role in health is incorrect. This is
demonstrated by showing recent scientific findings suggesting
it’s becoming less likely that biological factors like genetics are
responsible for conditions such as ADHD, and more likely that
Maté’s perspective, which emphasizes the impact of trauma,
reflects the direction in which science is heading. Lastly,

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Haslam’s characterization of some of Maté’s stances or practices
as being “more out there”, such as advocacy of psychedelics,
reflects an unwarranted dismissal of new ideas on how to tackle
issues related to mental health. Through scientific literature, it is
demonstrated that the use of psychedelics has real and practical
uses that should not be dismissed. Overall, Maté’s opinions are
worth exploring and dismissing Maté’s views as extreme or
“bordering

on

quackery”

risks

overlooking

promising

perspectives supported by evolving research. As Western firstworld nations like the United States and Canada face declining
well-being, health, and life expectancy, alongside rising crises
such as the mental health crisis and the opioid epidemic, it
becomes increasingly important to reconsider how we
understand the root causes of these issues

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Work Cited
Bains, Camille. “More than 1 in 4 Deaths of Young People in
Canada were Opioid-Related
in 2021, Study Finds.” CBC News. 15 Apr. 2024.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/opioid-young-people1.7174098. Accessed 9 Dec 2024
George, Daniel R et al. “Ancient Roots of Today's Emerging
Renaissance in Psychedelic
Medicine.” Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry, vol. 46,
no. 4, 2022, pp. 890-903,
doi:10.1007/s11013-021-09749-y. Accessed 9 Dec 2024.
Haslam, Nick. “Gabor Maté claims trauma contributes to
everything: From cancer to ADHD.
But what does the evidence say?”. The Conversation.
27 Sep. 2023,
https://theconversation.com/gabor-mate-claims-traumacontributes-to-everything-from-ca
ncer-to-adhd-but-what-does-the-evidence-say-207144.
Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.
Klinger-König, J., et al. “Childhood Trauma and Somatic and
Mental Illness in Adulthood:
Findings of the NAKO Health Study.” Deutsches
Ärzteblatt International, vol. 121, no. 1,
Jan. 2024, pp. 1–8. EBSCOhost,

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https://doiorg.rdpolytech.idm.oclc.org/10.3238/arztebl.m2023.022
5. Accessed 26 Nov 2024.
Miodus, Stephanie, et al. “Childhood ADHD Symptoms in
Relation to Trauma Exposure and
PTSD Symptoms among College Students: Attending to
and Accommodating Trauma.” Journal of Emotional
and Behavioral Disorders, vol. 29, no. 3, Sept. 2021,
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https://doi.org/10.1177/1063426620982624. Accessed
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Maté, Gabor. The Myth of Normal : Trauma, Illness and
Healing in a Toxic Culture. Edited by
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Nov 2024.
Maté, Gabor. Scattered Minds : The Origins and Healing of
Attention Deficit Disorder. 2000.
EBSCOhost,
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat02
730a&AN=rdc.6776201&site=eds-live. Accessed 26
Nov 2024.

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Grimm, Oliver et al. “Genetics of ADHD: What Should the
Clinician Know?.” Current
Psychiatry Reports, vol. 22,4 18. 27 Feb. 2020,
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2024.
Tupper, Kenneth W et al. “Psychedelic medicine: a reemerging therapeutic paradigm.” CMAJ :
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Accessed 9 Dec 2024.
“The Crisis Is Real.” CAMH. https://www.camh.ca/en/drivingchange/the-crisis-is-real.
Accessed 9 Dec 2024.
United Nations. “Chronic Diseases Taking ‘Immense and
Increasing Toll on
Lives,’ Warns WHO.” UN News, 13 May 2023,
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Despite%20overall%20health%20progress%2C%20W
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