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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
Shout out to Gianna for this book and the following experience of reading it is owed to her. The first part of this book details how the pharmaceutical market has created an idea of what depression is and how to solve this existential problem. Something that I’ve noted in the last write up, but reading about people’s lives is really fascinating to me. I feel like I haven’t read any books like this for such a long time, that I forgot what it was like to really know about someone else’s experiences as described by themselves. It’s different from talking to someone about their life, you will always hear what they have to say, but to try and be a good friend I feel like we try to relate too much and therefore dampen what they tell us. But when reading a book there is no conversation with the author, you can’t try to help them through the narrative, because its already written and there is already a conclusion that has been reached without your help. You’re simply a bystander for this story, meant to absorb and take away a meaning that can help you as you’re the only one to talk about this book with (unless you’re in a book club of two like me). Okay end of tangent. The idea of dissecting how each part of modern life is antithetical to connection and therefore leads to depression is something I feel like we all know, but can’t fathom, much less put into words, yet here Johann has done it wonderfully. From the first anecdote about his food poisoning and how he needed to feel the symptoms to diagnose the real problem, I felt that this would go deeper than just a self-help book. In the end depression is not what we think it is, a manifestation of some abnormality in the brain, but a consequence of how we live so isolated from those around us. Throughout detailing the reasons, we are disconnected, then how to rebuild those connections, Johann examines just how much of our lives around us are determined by outside sources and how much we shape our lives to fit this outside narrative, while not focusing on what truly makes us happy. While it would be easy for me to divulge into how capitalism is at fault for much of this, Johann does it much better so just read the book. The tldr of the last third of the book is that establishing meaningful connections with others is the “cure” to depression, making sure that you aren’t alone. This can come in many different forms, being connected to your work, environment, community, family, friends, and significant others can all have positive impacts on your well-being that can help pull a person out of depression. We want to take the easy way out, which Johann admits he did all throughout his adolescence, utilizing anti-depressants and believing that they are the panacea for all his problems in life that truly are the source of his depression. It’s terrifying to know that we hold many of the keys to improving our mental health, yet Johann also discusses how many outside sources there are that directly work towards belittling people into feeling insignificant and broken. Whether its social media, advertising, or a shitty friend, there are things outside of our control that affect our mental health. The best way to tackle this is to simply acknowledge them for what they are and remove them from our lives to the best of our ability. I don’t really know how to end this write up, probably should have written it a little closer to finishing the book so it was fresher, but still one of my favorite reads recently, dives into many niche topics while not being lost in jargon. Can be picked up by anyone and although enjoy is maybe not the right word, it helped me look at many situations differently and is something I can easily see myself rereading in the future/getting my own copy.
Cow guy, shrooms, Amish, talking about feelings, etc.
Cow guy, shrooms, Amish, talking about feelings, etc.
Pros:
-I think the piece about the importance of connection was valuable for me to hear. As someone who suffers from depression and anxiety, the connection part is the hardest part.
-I also think it is solid advice to fixing the whole person and addressing what is causing or contributing to the depression rather than just taking drugs
-meditation/spiritual practice can be helpful to get outside of ones own head and get some perspective
Cons:
-I am so over this breathless type of book that is all "the scientist/medical establishment is all wrong and only I have the answer that THEY don't want you to know about!" I think it is fine to be critical of how depression is treated, but it is dangerous to assume that mainstream medicine is bunk and the real answer lies somewhere else. That's how you get anti-vaxxers.
-I had to beg my doctors to give me anti-depressants. They insisted I do therapy. They insisted I do CBT. When I finally got an SSRI that worked for me, it really helped, along with all the therapy and making other changes. I honestly believe that the SSRI was instrumental in getting me to a place where I could take the steps to be more social, be more outgoing, and make changes in my life. The therapy was also essential, but the SSRI helped. And when I felt fine, I went off of it.
-Any book that says drugs are bad but you should drop some shrooms so you can see god gets major side-eye from me. The fact that he compares shrooming to having a dedicated contemplative meditation practice is just insulting, and points to the whole quick fix by drugs thing he is criticizing. Also, if you are really depressed, I would highly suggest going slow, joining an in-person meditation group (or online if you are not near a group), because sitting with your head when you are raging with depression and anxiety is a hard thing.
- So were people happy 100 years ago? Were people not depressed? I mean, surely our modern american way of life is a recipe for depression and anxiety, but were things ever that much better? The idea that what we really need to do is end neo-liberalism and consumerism feels like a lot. Someone who lived in an ex-communist state (where there was no insecurity about work, food, and there was no consumerism) once described life under communism as "grey and depressing." I'm sure 100 years ago wondering if your kid was going to die of the flu or if your wife was going to die in childbirth or if you were just going to have to put up with your abusive husband for the rest of your life was pretty effing depressing. I'm not against pushing back at materialism and increasing the social safety net - I think it is vital to do, and it will help, but I think there are always going to be issues.
-I think the piece about the importance of connection was valuable for me to hear. As someone who suffers from depression and anxiety, the connection part is the hardest part.
-I also think it is solid advice to fixing the whole person and addressing what is causing or contributing to the depression rather than just taking drugs
-meditation/spiritual practice can be helpful to get outside of ones own head and get some perspective
Cons:
-I am so over this breathless type of book that is all "the scientist/medical establishment is all wrong and only I have the answer that THEY don't want you to know about!" I think it is fine to be critical of how depression is treated, but it is dangerous to assume that mainstream medicine is bunk and the real answer lies somewhere else. That's how you get anti-vaxxers.
-I had to beg my doctors to give me anti-depressants. They insisted I do therapy. They insisted I do CBT. When I finally got an SSRI that worked for me, it really helped, along with all the therapy and making other changes. I honestly believe that the SSRI was instrumental in getting me to a place where I could take the steps to be more social, be more outgoing, and make changes in my life. The therapy was also essential, but the SSRI helped. And when I felt fine, I went off of it.
-Any book that says drugs are bad but you should drop some shrooms so you can see god gets major side-eye from me. The fact that he compares shrooming to having a dedicated contemplative meditation practice is just insulting, and points to the whole quick fix by drugs thing he is criticizing. Also, if you are really depressed, I would highly suggest going slow, joining an in-person meditation group (or online if you are not near a group), because sitting with your head when you are raging with depression and anxiety is a hard thing.
- So were people happy 100 years ago? Were people not depressed? I mean, surely our modern american way of life is a recipe for depression and anxiety, but were things ever that much better? The idea that what we really need to do is end neo-liberalism and consumerism feels like a lot. Someone who lived in an ex-communist state (where there was no insecurity about work, food, and there was no consumerism) once described life under communism as "grey and depressing." I'm sure 100 years ago wondering if your kid was going to die of the flu or if your wife was going to die in childbirth or if you were just going to have to put up with your abusive husband for the rest of your life was pretty effing depressing. I'm not against pushing back at materialism and increasing the social safety net - I think it is vital to do, and it will help, but I think there are always going to be issues.
I highly recommend this book, which looks primarily at the social causes of depression and offers tentative solutions for them. It’s is written in an investigative journalism style with some personal experience, also. Reading through the causes of depression was kind of depressing in and of itself, but stick with it because this book also offers hope that things could be different.
An accessible read; very colloquial in format.
I struggled to engage fully with the first half of the book. However, I acknowledge that I am often very defensive to any stance that appears anti-medication in relation to the treatment of anxiety and depression. This is mostly because I feel personally attacked, and should not equal a poor evaluation of the book or the author.
That aside, the second half of the book is very interesting and more than made up for my initial reticence and negative reaction. Most of the ideas presented are not new to me (perhaps with the exception of taking LSD as a treatment for depression) but they are well articulated and persuasively presented.
I struggled to engage fully with the first half of the book. However, I acknowledge that I am often very defensive to any stance that appears anti-medication in relation to the treatment of anxiety and depression. This is mostly because I feel personally attacked, and should not equal a poor evaluation of the book or the author.
That aside, the second half of the book is very interesting and more than made up for my initial reticence and negative reaction. Most of the ideas presented are not new to me (perhaps with the exception of taking LSD as a treatment for depression) but they are well articulated and persuasively presented.
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Content warning: The book does cover depression, anxiety, childhood trauma, sexual assault, suicide. I felt this was written using a more analytical perspective, however the book does have many anecdotes by the people who Hari interviewed so is more narrative than a textbook would be.
This was assigned reading for my Pyschotherapy class. It provided a new perspective that I hadn't considered, going into how depression and anxiety aren't simply due to a chemical imbalance in the brain. Hari includes multiple anecdotes from people he's interviewed while researching this book. His findings are presented in a relatively organized, narrative manner. I probably wouldn't have read this if it weren't required, but I'm glad that I did.
The audiobook was super helpful to get through the reading assignments in a timely manner, but the audio engineering was a bit inconsistent (sometimes he would sound really close/loud, other times very far away/quiet).
3.5 stars rounded up.
This was assigned reading for my Pyschotherapy class. It provided a new perspective that I hadn't considered, going into how depression and anxiety aren't simply due to a chemical imbalance in the brain. Hari includes multiple anecdotes from people he's interviewed while researching this book. His findings are presented in a relatively organized, narrative manner. I probably wouldn't have read this if it weren't required, but I'm glad that I did.
The audiobook was super helpful to get through the reading assignments in a timely manner, but the audio engineering was a bit inconsistent (sometimes he would sound really close/loud, other times very far away/quiet).
3.5 stars rounded up.
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Very insughtful book. Some chapters were pretty heavy and therefore I really took my time reading this one but I definitely recommend that if you or someone you know struggles with depression and/or anxiety that you read this!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be reading it again! It helped me to connect so many thoughts that I have been thinking about how to improve wellness for myself and those around me. I think everyone should have a read of this book.
It gave me a greater sense of empathy for those around me that might have had particularly traumatic events in their life, or lacking a sense of connection to others. It also helped me to reflect on my own life, what I think is working and what I could work to improve, to help me to be more resilient, happy and healthy.
It gave me a greater sense of empathy for those around me that might have had particularly traumatic events in their life, or lacking a sense of connection to others. It also helped me to reflect on my own life, what I think is working and what I could work to improve, to help me to be more resilient, happy and healthy.