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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
Review to come but the second half of this book I found really boring.
Interesting book but he says anxiety and depression are the same and doesn't back this up at all, so that took away a bit of his credibility for me
informative
slow-paced
This book gives an interesting take on mental health issues and their medications. It is more of a biography of the author than a scientific book. Some stories I've liked, some I didn't.
I assume it would be triggering to read it you're currently affected by depression. Don't spend your money on this.
I assume it would be triggering to read it you're currently affected by depression. Don't spend your money on this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
I appreciate these unexpected solutions and feel they would make a difference in my mindset but it's totally too much work to apply myself into my own life and the known outcome. How depressing.
I nearly hurled this book across the room.
If you have been affected by the anti-medication rhetoric presented in this book, please please please don't make any hasty decisions without having a full discussion with your doctor.
There are many unanswered questions when it comes to antidepressants, but it's not controversial to say that they work very well for some people and remain a useful tool in the treatment of many conditions.
Reasons for almost book-hurling (never actually enacted):
1) Completely misrepresenting doctors and the work that they do in the treatment of anxiety and depression.
2) Passing off well established theories as cutting edge journalism and (in flavour) presenting them as his own discoveries.
3) Disparaging antidepressants in a way that isn't borne out by organisations such as NICE, the Royal College of Psychiatrists or other organisations that have made treating mental illnesses their life's work.
I needn't be salty about this personally. My own condition has been shown on best available evidence to be twice as likely to respond to an SSRI than placebo (Cochrane meta-analysis). Given that there is some crossover with my condition and anxiety/ depression, surely it follows that there will be people with could have a genuine chemical response to antidepressants?
And I'm not talking about a fix here. Most people with severe endogenous depressive disorders or anxiety disorders don't want to feel amazing. They just want to be able to function. They want to be able to sit in their own brain day to day without being in hell.
I'm a GP. I've been a doctor for 9 years and I've been a patient for much, much longer than that.
The story Johann Hari tells of medical care in this country is completely alien to me. He asserts that every single doctor he saw for 13 years never asked him about the context of his illness and insisted that depression is a pure chemical deficiency that's only treatment is a pill which will make you "better than normal."
On what planet.....? I mean, I suppose it's possible that every medical professional he came across was borderline negligent. Substandard care does happen. It's just very far from my experience - both professionally and personally - and the experiences of the people I know - professionally and personally.
Looking at things like... the NHS website... the wealth of resources we recommend to people routinely (meditation apps, talking therapies, exercise, social prescribing, lifestyle changes such as reducing alcohol etc, trauma counselling, CBT, etc etc etc.....) makes me suspect that my perspective may be closer to reality.
As long as I've been in the field no one has really argued that depression is basically just a serotonin deficiency. The theory was shaky at the start and was debunked ages ago. According to most organisations - including the Royal College of Psychiatrists, antidepressants work very well for some people, but not others. We don't know why some people respond and others don't. We don't know why they work or how well they work. Neurotransmitters? Inflammatory cytokines? The side effect of feeling like a Zombie stupefying ones brain into acquiescence?
Maybe things were different back in the 90s, but still, I entered medical school in 2006 so the biopsychosocial model of depression is hardly hot off the press.
It's all such a shame because there is so much here to praise. Johann Hari is an engaging pop science writer and here is a competent discussion of some of the main factors that plague our society and make us more susceptible to depression's claws.
Loneliness, materialism, disconnection from nature, threatened status, superficial friendships, meaningless work... he provides concise commentary, collecting these ideas and discussing their contributions to all kinds of depression and anxiety.
I want to celebrate these messages because this book has the potential to help a lot of people.
Johann Hari provides insightful commentary on the destructive power of materialism, the protective roles of friendship and connection and the soul-destroying rut of pointless work.
In terms of solutions, he focuses on radical social change. If you're looking for advice and guidance - especially after being told that the only thing that helps you get through it is no better than a sugar pill (a hypothesis that doesn't have the consensus of the psychiatric community behind it) - then surely some kind of practical nuggets could be offered?
But the focus is on campaigning for the universal wage, taking magic mushrooms in a supported clinical environment and forming co-operatives. (All very interesting, but not very practical for the average person.) It's likely to make the average sufferer feel lethargic. Almost like saying - until all this is overhauled, what chance do we stand? Get campaigning!
There are lots of ways you can let other people into your life, spend more time in nature, make your day to day life more rewarding... More discussion of this would be of practical use.
Having said all that, there is lots and lots of interesting information in this book, charismatically told. Hari is at his best when telling the stories and he has a talented voice. Engaging, concise and passionate. His stories have a lovely, personal touch. I liked hearing about the people at Kotti, for example, and stories like this give hope and joy.
Lost Connections could have been an outstanding book highlighting the way that societal ills can destroy our collective wellbeing, but it's blanket disparagement of medication means I can't endorse it. Which is a real shame.
If you have been affected by the anti-medication rhetoric presented in this book, please please please don't make any hasty decisions without having a full discussion with your doctor.
There are many unanswered questions when it comes to antidepressants, but it's not controversial to say that they work very well for some people and remain a useful tool in the treatment of many conditions.
Reasons for almost book-hurling (never actually enacted):
1) Completely misrepresenting doctors and the work that they do in the treatment of anxiety and depression.
2) Passing off well established theories as cutting edge journalism and (in flavour) presenting them as his own discoveries.
3) Disparaging antidepressants in a way that isn't borne out by organisations such as NICE, the Royal College of Psychiatrists or other organisations that have made treating mental illnesses their life's work.
I needn't be salty about this personally. My own condition has been shown on best available evidence to be twice as likely to respond to an SSRI than placebo (Cochrane meta-analysis). Given that there is some crossover with my condition and anxiety/ depression, surely it follows that there will be people with could have a genuine chemical response to antidepressants?
And I'm not talking about a fix here. Most people with severe endogenous depressive disorders or anxiety disorders don't want to feel amazing. They just want to be able to function. They want to be able to sit in their own brain day to day without being in hell.
I'm a GP. I've been a doctor for 9 years and I've been a patient for much, much longer than that.
The story Johann Hari tells of medical care in this country is completely alien to me. He asserts that every single doctor he saw for 13 years never asked him about the context of his illness and insisted that depression is a pure chemical deficiency that's only treatment is a pill which will make you "better than normal."
On what planet.....? I mean, I suppose it's possible that every medical professional he came across was borderline negligent. Substandard care does happen. It's just very far from my experience - both professionally and personally - and the experiences of the people I know - professionally and personally.
Looking at things like... the NHS website... the wealth of resources we recommend to people routinely (meditation apps, talking therapies, exercise, social prescribing, lifestyle changes such as reducing alcohol etc, trauma counselling, CBT, etc etc etc.....) makes me suspect that my perspective may be closer to reality.
As long as I've been in the field no one has really argued that depression is basically just a serotonin deficiency. The theory was shaky at the start and was debunked ages ago. According to most organisations - including the Royal College of Psychiatrists, antidepressants work very well for some people, but not others. We don't know why some people respond and others don't. We don't know why they work or how well they work. Neurotransmitters? Inflammatory cytokines? The side effect of feeling like a Zombie stupefying ones brain into acquiescence?
Maybe things were different back in the 90s, but still, I entered medical school in 2006 so the biopsychosocial model of depression is hardly hot off the press.
It's all such a shame because there is so much here to praise. Johann Hari is an engaging pop science writer and here is a competent discussion of some of the main factors that plague our society and make us more susceptible to depression's claws.
Loneliness, materialism, disconnection from nature, threatened status, superficial friendships, meaningless work... he provides concise commentary, collecting these ideas and discussing their contributions to all kinds of depression and anxiety.
I want to celebrate these messages because this book has the potential to help a lot of people.
Johann Hari provides insightful commentary on the destructive power of materialism, the protective roles of friendship and connection and the soul-destroying rut of pointless work.
In terms of solutions, he focuses on radical social change. If you're looking for advice and guidance - especially after being told that the only thing that helps you get through it is no better than a sugar pill (a hypothesis that doesn't have the consensus of the psychiatric community behind it) - then surely some kind of practical nuggets could be offered?
But the focus is on campaigning for the universal wage, taking magic mushrooms in a supported clinical environment and forming co-operatives. (All very interesting, but not very practical for the average person.) It's likely to make the average sufferer feel lethargic. Almost like saying - until all this is overhauled, what chance do we stand? Get campaigning!
There are lots of ways you can let other people into your life, spend more time in nature, make your day to day life more rewarding... More discussion of this would be of practical use.
Having said all that, there is lots and lots of interesting information in this book, charismatically told. Hari is at his best when telling the stories and he has a talented voice. Engaging, concise and passionate. His stories have a lovely, personal touch. I liked hearing about the people at Kotti, for example, and stories like this give hope and joy.
Lost Connections could have been an outstanding book highlighting the way that societal ills can destroy our collective wellbeing, but it's blanket disparagement of medication means I can't endorse it. Which is a real shame.
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Decent. I do appreciate the focus on engaging with a larger community to more effectively manage depression. The discussion of meditation & psychedelics were interesting, too.
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Definitely a good read on the subject, you can watch the TED Talk as well but the book takes the description of the concern more in depth, obviously.