Instead of giving him antidepressants, the doctors met with him and his neighbors to explore his life situation and difficulties. This farmer became very depressed and was constantly worried about the future. Hari tells the story of a Cambodian farmer who lost a leg to a mine explosion. What the biochemical model neglects are the ways that depression can be rooted in one’s life experience. Nonetheless, in his quest to find the truth, he met with several prominent researchers and took a deep dive into the relevant literature. Keep in mind the Hari is a writer, not a scientist.

Hari’s personal experience with depression eventually led him on a quest to find the true causes depression along with potential solutions. However, even after years of taking antidepressant medication, which supposedly corrects this imbalance, his depression never went away. Like many depressed individuals seeking help, he was given medication along with the explanation that depression is caused by a biochemical imbalance in one’s brain. Hari, a writer and journalist, struggled with depression for many years. It’s about why you can’t focus and war on attention.One of the books I have most enjoyed reading this past year is Lost Connections by Johann Hari.

If you liked Lost Connections then you should check out Johann Hari’s book Stolen Focus. This books is a serious contender for Book of the Year for me – and it’s only beginning of February. Reading this book helped me gain a deeper understanding why modern society is a breeding ground for mental disorders. We all have people around us, friends or family members, that suffer from depression. Unfortunately “Reconnection” is not as commercially lucrative and easy to package into a product as antidepressants. Whether it was starting to run in nature (6.), Meditation (5.), read books (2.) or work on this Insta account (1. Reconnecting to the 9 areas pointed out by Hari definitely improved things for me. I have not been depressed myself (I don’t think?) but like most people I have had periods that has been darker and more anxious than others. 📝 Studies show that depression is in fact to a significant degree a problem not with your brain but with your life. 📝 Obesity and loneliness are equally deadly. 📝 The more people value things, the more likely they are to be depressed. Just like when we take selfies, we discard the double chins and post the one where we look ace! 🤳 📝 Anti depressant Companies (who often finance studies) only publish what makes their product look good.

Johann hari book lost connections