ADD: knowledge and awareness
Maté defines ADD as those who exhibit at least two of the following characteristics: poor attention skills, deficient impulse control, and hyperactivity. He explains that the neurological origins of ADD are rooted in missing neural connections and blood vessels in the prefrontal cortex. Dopamine and endorphins are central in generating the creation of new neural connections. These connections increase with an increase in the amount of endorphins and dopamine released which occurs when one has joyful, happy experiences. Those who are deprived of these experiences develop fewer dopamine receptors and blood vessels in the right prefrontal cortex; ADD is the result. Maté argues that this means that those with ADD were deprived of the happy experiences that nurture these attributes and as a result develop ADD.