Lost Connections - TL;DR (Johann Hari)

I noticed that a significant amount of people that have depression also have ADHD, making it hard for them to read for a long time, so here's a TL;DR version:

Author had depression most of his adult life. He took Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI) his whole life. It didn’t quite work, so he went on a journey to learn more about depression.

 

He found out that:

1. SSRIs are mostly all placebo. There’s very little scientific evidence that they work.

2. ``Imbalance in brain chemistry’’ causing depression is not a thing. It is a marketing campaign by pharmaceutical companies

 

So he went out to find the real causes of depression, which were:

1. Disconnection from people: we are, as a population, much lonelier. More than physical loneliness, we do not have relationships that have a `sense of mutual aid and protection’. This is worsened by social media

2. Disconnection from meaningful values: Modern society and advertisements say we need to be more materialistic. This causes us to pursue things that make us more depressed. 

3. Disconnection from childhood trauma: Depression is a reaction to abnormal life experiences. As children, we blame ourselves for the bad things that happened to us, so it hangs on us a shameful past, that shuts us off from others, causing isolation.

4. Disconnection from status and respect: We are let down by society and others so we shut off and say `leave me alone. I can’t take this anymore’.

5. Disconnection from the natural world: We get absorbed and obsess over our issues, and dig ourselves in a whole. This disconnection makes us less aware of the other things around us.

6. Disconnection from a hopeful or secure future: Constant letdown causes us to lose hope of the future, in which causes us to be suicidal, because one feels like the pain will never go away.

7. Genes and Brain changes: Brain imbalance is not a direct cause of depression, but some people are more genetically sensitive to outside stimulus, so they become depressed easily. Attributing depression to biological `sciences’ disempowers people, and tells people that their distress has no meaning.

 

The author explains ways to get better as well:

1. Reconnect with other people. Do things with other people and share your thoughts, concerns, and time with other people, and know that you’re not alone.

2. Instead of prescribing medication, prescribing people to social activities, such as community group gardening, has been shown to have a much better effect. By joining a community with a cause, people stop obsessing about themselves and their problems so much.

3. Finding meaningful work where your opinion is valued and a job you enjoy is crucial to happiness. Being your own boss, or democratic workplaces have been shown to make people happier

4. Ask yourself and others of your/their intrinsic values, instead of talking about extrinsic values. Reduce social media use and think of what you really want, what makes you sustainably happy.

5. Meditation helps you to self-center, and makes you more robust (resilient) to the materialistic nudges of the world. Some studies suggest LSD or magic mushrooms may have a similar effect.

6. By recognizing childhood trauma and understanding that it is not your fault and is not a flaw that you have, is a good place to start the healing process. It is not your fault.

7. Universal Basic Income, or a policy that reduces future uncertainty makes people happier.