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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
This was a well-researched, eye-opening book on the contributing factors of depression and anxiety. I'm not one who has really experienced clinical depression or anxiety, but this was a fascinating and uplifting read. I'd recommend this to anyone and everyone.
The title "Lost Connections" refers to the necessary connections we need in our life to help maintain a good state of mental health: connections to other people, connections to nature, connections to our past (trauma), connections to our future, connections to meaningful values, etc.
The author spends some time arguing against the mainstream thought of how people get depressed, how they are treated. A disturbing look into the history of treating depression is explored as well with Big Pharma looming in the background.
Rather than depression being a chemical only cause, the author argues that these disconnections to the things I listed above cause depression or contribute to it. He also presents solutions on how to "reconnect".
This is a very well written book and you could tell this was a labor of love for the author as he himself has suffered from depression. He goes to lengths to make things personable and engaging. Some of the studies referenced in this book were SO interesting and paradigm shifting (at least from my perspective). I could not put this down (or hit pause) several times.
One of my favorite parts was about the research on the plasticities of the brain. Basically, the author presents an argument that disconnection from the things above can alter our brains chemically and neurologically, rather than the mainstream notion of depression "hitting" someone like a random strike of lightning and causing an imbalance.
There are a few solutions that the author suggests that I found impractical or I imagined would be hard to implement. For example, he argues in a chapter for universal income. He presents his case well in some cases, but doesn't look at both sides sometimes. Just a minor gripe I guess.
This made me look at people and life in a whole new way. Many uplifting stories are shared. All in all, it has inspired me to be a better, more understanding person. Highly recommended.
The title "Lost Connections" refers to the necessary connections we need in our life to help maintain a good state of mental health: connections to other people, connections to nature, connections to our past (trauma), connections to our future, connections to meaningful values, etc.
The author spends some time arguing against the mainstream thought of how people get depressed, how they are treated. A disturbing look into the history of treating depression is explored as well with Big Pharma looming in the background.
Rather than depression being a chemical only cause, the author argues that these disconnections to the things I listed above cause depression or contribute to it. He also presents solutions on how to "reconnect".
This is a very well written book and you could tell this was a labor of love for the author as he himself has suffered from depression. He goes to lengths to make things personable and engaging. Some of the studies referenced in this book were SO interesting and paradigm shifting (at least from my perspective). I could not put this down (or hit pause) several times.
One of my favorite parts was about the research on the plasticities of the brain. Basically, the author presents an argument that disconnection from the things above can alter our brains chemically and neurologically, rather than the mainstream notion of depression "hitting" someone like a random strike of lightning and causing an imbalance.
There are a few solutions that the author suggests that I found impractical or I imagined would be hard to implement. For example, he argues in a chapter for universal income. He presents his case well in some cases, but doesn't look at both sides sometimes. Just a minor gripe I guess.
This made me look at people and life in a whole new way. Many uplifting stories are shared. All in all, it has inspired me to be a better, more understanding person. Highly recommended.
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
"It's all in your head."
That, essentially, has been the medical community's response to those suffering from depression for decades now. That answer isn't just wrong, it's glib, it's cruel, and it's proven to have fatal consequences.
I read [b:Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs|22245552|Chasing the Scream The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs|Johann Hari|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1416448118s/22245552.jpg|41620487] just last year, and this is a worthy follow-up. Hari is one of the most intriguing authors of non-fiction out there, not least for the way in which he takes something that the public has long viewed one way, and turns it on its head. Like the War on Drugs, society has long told us that the cause of depression was simply due to a lack of serotonin and as a result depression could be cured by taking pills that would act to boost serotonin.
The reality is — surprise surprise — a good deal more complicated than that. If depression were simply due to a lack of serotonin, why then are so many people plunged into depression as a result of external events? You lose your job, a relative dies, a friend is diagnosed with a serious illness ...
So OF COURSE there are extenuating circumstances, we all know that I think ... Don't we? Or does the medical community, in their race to prescribe pills, just ignore extenuating circumstances?
I honestly don't know the answer as I have never been diagnosed with depression and as a result don't really know what the procedure is when you are. But I do agree with Hari that the root of depression is more just a simple imbalance in the brain.
That isn't to say that the causes of depression aren't at times surprisingly basic. Lack of sunshine obviously plays a part, as does how well the society functions. Because really, when it comes down to it, are there any countries more depressed than those that made up the former Soviet Union?
Take it from a guy who spent five years living in Ukraine. That part of the world isn't exactly going to be confused with the Happiest Place on Earth anytime soon.
How did I survive? Not with alcohol, the drug of choice for people in that part of the world, but with dark chocolate. Lots of it.
So the reasons for depression can, of course, be complex and multi-faceted. But as Hari illustrates, when difficulties crop up in our lives (and they almost always do), the biggest factor that determines whether or not we'll sink into a crippling depression is often our community. In other words, do you have a support group or a family you can fall back on in hard times?
It's all rather simple when we think about it. We all need someone, and no matter how self-sufficient some of us might seem, at the end of the day we all crave and need contact with others. It's that precious contact that has the power to lift us up out of depression, not a pill pedaled to the desperate by Big Pharma.
All of which is to say that while anti-depressants can have an initial positive effect, it's not as strong an effect as you might think. These types of drugs too often become a crutch, a necessity, until we need more and more of them to dull the pain and isolation that will only worsen with time and more pills.
That's why it's up to all of us to combat depression by caring more, by resisting the urge to envy and think badly of others in order to make ourselves feel better, and by helping to build better communities around us.
If you or someone you know suffers from depression, this is required reading.
That, essentially, has been the medical community's response to those suffering from depression for decades now. That answer isn't just wrong, it's glib, it's cruel, and it's proven to have fatal consequences.
I read [b:Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs|22245552|Chasing the Scream The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs|Johann Hari|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1416448118s/22245552.jpg|41620487] just last year, and this is a worthy follow-up. Hari is one of the most intriguing authors of non-fiction out there, not least for the way in which he takes something that the public has long viewed one way, and turns it on its head. Like the War on Drugs, society has long told us that the cause of depression was simply due to a lack of serotonin and as a result depression could be cured by taking pills that would act to boost serotonin.
The reality is — surprise surprise — a good deal more complicated than that. If depression were simply due to a lack of serotonin, why then are so many people plunged into depression as a result of external events? You lose your job, a relative dies, a friend is diagnosed with a serious illness ...
So OF COURSE there are extenuating circumstances, we all know that I think ... Don't we? Or does the medical community, in their race to prescribe pills, just ignore extenuating circumstances?
I honestly don't know the answer as I have never been diagnosed with depression and as a result don't really know what the procedure is when you are. But I do agree with Hari that the root of depression is more just a simple imbalance in the brain.
That isn't to say that the causes of depression aren't at times surprisingly basic. Lack of sunshine obviously plays a part, as does how well the society functions. Because really, when it comes down to it, are there any countries more depressed than those that made up the former Soviet Union?
Take it from a guy who spent five years living in Ukraine. That part of the world isn't exactly going to be confused with the Happiest Place on Earth anytime soon.
How did I survive? Not with alcohol, the drug of choice for people in that part of the world, but with dark chocolate. Lots of it.
So the reasons for depression can, of course, be complex and multi-faceted. But as Hari illustrates, when difficulties crop up in our lives (and they almost always do), the biggest factor that determines whether or not we'll sink into a crippling depression is often our community. In other words, do you have a support group or a family you can fall back on in hard times?
It's all rather simple when we think about it. We all need someone, and no matter how self-sufficient some of us might seem, at the end of the day we all crave and need contact with others. It's that precious contact that has the power to lift us up out of depression, not a pill pedaled to the desperate by Big Pharma.
All of which is to say that while anti-depressants can have an initial positive effect, it's not as strong an effect as you might think. These types of drugs too often become a crutch, a necessity, until we need more and more of them to dull the pain and isolation that will only worsen with time and more pills.
That's why it's up to all of us to combat depression by caring more, by resisting the urge to envy and think badly of others in order to make ourselves feel better, and by helping to build better communities around us.
If you or someone you know suffers from depression, this is required reading.
A fascinating exploration into what causes depression and anxiety in our modern world. Hari takes a stab as disproving the widely accepted notion that these mental health issues can be explained by a simple imbalance in a persons brain chemistry. He makes a compelling argument that this is an oversimplified explanation sold to our desire for a quick fix. He presents a number of “lost connections” in our world that need to be reconnected in order to truly understand our struggles with anxiety and depression.
“So instead of seeing your depression and anxiety as a form of madness, I would tell my younger self-you need to see the sanity in this sadness.”
“So instead of seeing your depression and anxiety as a form of madness, I would tell my younger self-you need to see the sanity in this sadness.”
It would be five stars for the content of his message, but the occasionally rambling personal stories were sprinkled too liberally throughout the book for my taste.
Hari acknowledges that there are three kinds of causes of depression and anxiety -- biological, psychological, and social -- and keeps his focus pretty steadily on ways to address the social causes. The book is informative, reassuring, and inspiring.
"You aren’t a machine with broken parts. You are an animal whose needs are not being met."
(to really round out the whole needs-not-being-met discussion, I'd complement this with something like Andrew Weil's Spontaneous Happiness)
Hari acknowledges that there are three kinds of causes of depression and anxiety -- biological, psychological, and social -- and keeps his focus pretty steadily on ways to address the social causes. The book is informative, reassuring, and inspiring.
"You aren’t a machine with broken parts. You are an animal whose needs are not being met."
(to really round out the whole needs-not-being-met discussion, I'd complement this with something like Andrew Weil's Spontaneous Happiness)
50% of this is stuff I learned from women on the internet, only backed up with studies here. Maybe we'll finally get UBI here in Canada and then what might happen?
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5 stars.
As someone who has suffered heavily with anxiety, I was skeptical going into this book after reading some bad reviews. However, I've also listened to a few podcasts with Johann Hari and loved those, so I was intrigued by the book.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found myself on the brink of tears for most of it as he described everything I had been feeling, not only backed up by clinical and scientific studies, but then offered solutions which too had been backed up. It was a bit overwhelming with so much information thrown at you, but I tabbed and annotated all throughout the book and it is definitely something I will be referring back to over time.
As someone who has suffered heavily with anxiety, I was skeptical going into this book after reading some bad reviews. However, I've also listened to a few podcasts with Johann Hari and loved those, so I was intrigued by the book.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found myself on the brink of tears for most of it as he described everything I had been feeling, not only backed up by clinical and scientific studies, but then offered solutions which too had been backed up. It was a bit overwhelming with so much information thrown at you, but I tabbed and annotated all throughout the book and it is definitely something I will be referring back to over time.
This was actually excellent. It's so refreshing to read about the social, environmental and psychological causes of depression and anxiety, as well as the biological factors. I appreciate how Johann Hari makes it clear throughout that his conclusions aren't without fault and much more research needs to be done. Overall, I think it's so valuable to introduce these practical solutions that allow people to take control of their struggles and see that they're not alone.