Lost Connections
Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression – and the Unexpected Solutions
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- 12,99 €
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- 12,99 €
Publisher Description
THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER: A radically new way of thinking about depression and anxiety
'A book that could actually make us happy' SIMON AMSTELL
'This amazing book will change your life' ELTON JOHN
'One of the most important texts of recent years' BRITISH JOURNAL OF GENERAL PRACTICE
'Brilliant, stimulating, radical' MATT HAIG
'The more people read this book, the better off the world will be' NAOMI KLEIN
'Wonderful' HILLARY CLINTON
'Eye-opening' GUARDIAN
'Brilliant for anyone wanting a better understanding of mental health' ZOE BALL
'A game-changer' DAVINA MCCALL
'Extraordinary' DR MAX PEMBERTON
Depression and anxiety are now at epidemic levels. Why? Across the world, scientists have uncovered evidence for nine different causes. Some are in our biology, but most are in the way we are living today.
Lost Connections offers a radical new way of thinking about this crisis. It shows that once we understand the real causes, we can begin to turn to pioneering new solutions – ones that offer real hope.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
After the success of 2015’s addiction-based Chasing the Scream, Scottish writer Johann Hari tackles the practice of medicating people for depression and anxiety in a one-size-fits-all fashion. Seeking a more nuanced and individual approach, he interviews experts from around the world to illuminate the multitude of causes for mental suffering—and to find a realistic shot at curing it. Hari’s personal experience of depression from a young age lends extra credibility to this well-researched read, which combines engaging anecdotes with the science and statistics behind his arguments. There are three sections to Lost Connections: the first involves busting some common myths about mental health, followed by a discussion of the potential causes of depression and anxiety, and finally some advice on what we can do about them.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Journalist Hari (Chasing the Scream) explores common causes of anxiety and depression in contemporary society, proposing that antidepressants do not address the true nature of the problem. Critiquing the chemical-imbalance theory of depression as an idea sponsored by the self-interested pharmaceutical industry, he quotes one psychologist as saying, "The symptoms are a messenger of a deeper problem." Hari interviews numerous psychologists who explain how factors such as loneliness, work-based dissatisfaction, and consumer culture can fuel mental-health issues. Chasing possible solutions to these problems, Hari's research takes him throughout the world. He stops in a Berlin housing project where tenants waged a yearlong protest against rising rents, fostering a sense of empowerment and unity among themselves. He also visits a London mental-health clinic where doctors prescribe community volunteer projects instead of pills and a Baltimore bicycle shop that uses a nonhierarchical workplace to give employees a sense of having a voice in the business. Hari aims to demonstrate that the feelings of depression and anxiety experienced by individuals are symptomatic of a larger societal ailment that must be addressed. He makes a good case for this theory, supplying the reader with overwhelming (and engrossing) evidence, though his preferred solutions are somewhat grandiose and utopian.