Depression? "Lost Connections" (Johann Hari)

Bloomsbury.com, author Johann Hari; Dhr. Seven, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

I was molested when I was a child. That's why I'm depressed and doctors can't cure me.

 

Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression -- and the Unexpected Solutions 

OMG, they've been lying to us to sell us pills

From the science journalist and New York Times bestselling author of Chasing the Scream comes a radically new way of thinking about depression and anxiety.

What really causes depression and anxiety -- and how can we really solve them? Award-winning journalist Johann Hari suffered from depression since he was a child and started taking anti-depressants when he was a teenager.

He was told that his problems were caused by "a chemical imbalance" in his brain.

As an adult trained in the social sciences, he began to investigate whether this was true -- and he learned that almost everything we have been told about depression and anxiety is wrong.

Across the world Hari found social scientists who were uncovering evidence that depression and anxiety are not caused by a chemical imbalance in our brains.

In fact, they are largely caused by key problems with the way we live today.

Hari´s journey took him from a mind-blowing series of experiments in Baltimore, to an Amish community in Indiana, to an uprising in Berlin.

Once he had uncovered nine real causes of depression and anxiety, they led him to scientists who are discovering seven very different solutions -- ones that work.

It is an epic journey that will change how we think about one of the biggest crises in our culture today.

His TED talk -- "Everything You Think You Know About Addiction is Wrong" -- has been viewed more than 21 million times and revolutionized the global debate. This book will do the same for our view of depression.

 

RAVE REVIEWS!

“If you have ever been down, or felt lost, this amazing book will change your life. Do yourself a favor -- read it now.”

–  Elton John

“Lost Connections offers a wonderful and incisive analysis of the depression and alienation that are haunting American society.”

–  Hillary Rodham Clinton

“Wise, probing and deeply generous Hari has produced a book packed with explosive revelations about our epidemic of despair... I am utterly convinced that the more people read this book, the better off the world will be.”

–  Naomi Klein

“A brilliant, stimulating, radical take on mental health.”

–  Matt Haig

“This book is a game changer.”

–  Davina McCall

“A prescient and compassionate Rosetta Stone for those trying to understand mental illness. Beautiful.”

–  Russell Brand

“Extraordinary...A highly personal book, written with humility, humor and candor, it nonetheless heralds a crucial new discussion about our mental health -- and health of the world we've created for ourselves… I honestly couldn't put it down. What a stunning piece of work.”

–  Brian Eno

“As with his book on drugs, Johann Hari has delivered a remarkable tour de force on a difficult, complex and controversial subject and made the reader think anew.”

–  Alastair Campbell

“This is a bold and inspiring book that will help far more than just those who suffer from depression. As Hari shows, we all have within us the potential to live in ways that are healthier and wiser.”

–  Arianna Huffington

“An exquisitely lucid treatise on why no person is, has been or ever should be an island. This book is the most exciting thing I've read this year. From slightly seedy to suicidal -- however you are feeling -- read this book and it will honestly help you to understand which roads we must walk if we want to see true, lasting change.”

–  Emma Thompson

“A vital, compelling and eye-opening examination of the myths we have been taught to believe about depression and anxiety... Hari again proves that he is one of the world's most important and most enlightening thinkers and social critics.”

–  Glenn Greenwald

“This is an astonishing book, that transforms our understanding of one of the crucial issues of our times. Johann Hari asks the big questions and provides the big answers -- answers that have been neglected for far too long. You cannot fully understand this great curse of our age until you have read it.”

–  George Monbiot

“Johann Hari has written a book that could actually make us happy. It is very important everyone read this book and do what he says as quickly as possible.”

–  Simon Amstell

“A beautiful book from the person that brilliantly once said “the opposite of addiction is connection” and who now explores and offers some solutions to our disconnection.”

–  Jemima Khan

“This is an extraordinary, elegant exploration of a timely problem. It is written with wit and elan and provides a devastating analysis of our society that is both shocking and profound.”

–  Dr. Max Pemberton of The Daily Mail

“A bold call for a complete re-evaluation of what is causing the western epidemic of mental illness.”

–  Isabel Hardman, Sunday Times

“You might think Lost Connections is a self-help title but in reality it's a book that aims to change society, not individuals… Lost Connections is an important and controversial book because it asks questions about the biggest problems we have in the world.”

–  Attitude Magazine

“Brilliant.”

–  Liz Jones, Mail on Sunday