I first heard about Lost Connections through a 2019 TED talk by Johann Hari. The talk was called This Could Be Why You’re Depressed or Anxious, which isn’t the most catchy title, but the idea jumped out at me. The TED talk was partly based on Johann’s book – called Lost Connections: Why You’re Depressed and How to Find Hope. While there’s nothing particularly radical about that title either, the TED talk inspired me to get the book and write this Lost Connections review.
After all, working out the causes of depression is a critical part of solving the problem. If we don’t understand the causes, how can we possibly hope to solve it?
The topic is relevant to individuals too. Reading the book could help you learn more about what drives depression for you, and could inspire solutions because of this.
My Interest in Lost Connections
As you might have noticed from elsewhere on this site, I have a not-so-slight fascination with depression, anxiety, and ways of improving mental health. The topics fascinate me, in part, because of my own journey through depression and anxiety, and out the other side.
I’m also interested because the topics are notoriously difficult. Medication and therapy are the two most common approaches for treating the conditions, yet both of these are only effective for some people some of the time. And, these approaches sometimes just reduce symptoms, rather than removing them entirely.
I was hooked by the TED talk (which you can see below) because it suggested a larger picture for depression and anxiety than we often talk about. And, with any luck, a larger picture means some different solutions.
My Lost Connections Review
So, my first impressions of Lost Connections were positive. I love the writing style of the author. He is talking about serious topics and some fairly complex research studies at times, yet he manages to keep the whole easy to read.
He does this partly by telling a lot of stories.
The style works well, mostly. The stories he tells are entertaining and they’re relevant to everyday people.
Johann’s Writing and Stories
Johann starts by talking about his own depression, how that was treated, and the views that he formed about the causes of depression. Like many people from his generation, Johann was convinced of the idea that depression stems from a chemical imbalance in the brain, one that medication targets. Yet, his experiences with medication were mixed, at best.
He ended up on medication for depression for roughly 13 years. His medication dose was gradually increased during that time period. He did experience some positive outcomes from the medication, but the good effects tended to be short-lived.
The stories continue throughout the book. Johann moves on to talk about his search for answers, delving into stories of research, discovery, and unexpected solutions along the way.
It’s all fascinating. I started to see parallels to my own life in some of the stories that he told.
However, if I’m going to be accurate in this Lost Connections review, then I must say, the storytelling gets a bit over-the-top at times. Some chapters contain long stories that seem to highlight fairly simple points. At time, I found myself flipping through the pages so I could get to the end of the story faster.
The Topics at Hand
Lost Connections is broken down into three parts (along with a prologue and an introduction):
- Part I: The Crack in the Old Story
- Part II: Disconnection: Nine Causes of Depression and Anxiety
- Part III: Reconnection. Or, a Different Kind of Antidepressant
In a way, the structure is like that of a story. Johann starts with the large problem of depression and anxiety, then talks about the individual causes that he discovered, and finally talks about ways to address those causes.
This structure makes sense, as it gives Johann the chance to prove his case for each of the causes that he has found. And honestly, he needs to, some of the ideas he comes up with make sense, but seem somewhat insignificant until he explains them in depth.
Still, if you’re struggling with depression or anxiety, the structure is frustrating. You end up having to wade through story upon story about what is ‘wrong’ with society and the way that we’re living. This would be enough to bring anyone down. The effect could be much worse if you see parallels to your own life in those stories.
Johann’s Causes of Depression
As part of this Lost Connections review, we need to talk a little about the underlying causes of anxiety and depression that Johann found. You can see them in the list below. They all come from research and Johann provides plenty of discussion and evidence to back each one up.
- Disconnection from:
- Meaningful work
- Other people
- Meaningful values
- Childhood trauma
- Status and respect
- The natural world
- A hopeful or secure future
- Genes
- Brain changes
But, showing the causes like this doesn’t do them justice. The ideas are more complex than the names imply and some of the phrases used are a little misleading.
For example, the chapter on genes and brain changes talks extensively about the idea of neuroplasticity – i.e. the fact that the brain can change. Indeed, as Johann points out, the brain reacts to the world around you, while your perception of the world is strongly influenced by your brain.
The chapter also talks about how real genetic and physical causes for depression do exist, but that they as strong or significant as we often expect.
And, even when people do have a genetic propensity for depression, there are other factors at play.
Personally, I was fascinated by this part of the book. While many of the causes that Johann talks about are fairly obvious, I’ve never seen them compiled in such a way before and with so much evidence.
Reconnection Approaches
Johann then moves on to talk about the flipside of these challenges. About the ways that people can start to reconnect and find hope.
There are some very interesting ideas in this part of the book, including discussions on meaningful work, meaningful values, sympathetic joy, and looking to the future.
Some of these are things that you could take and apply to your life.
However, Johann maintains a strong society-based focused through this part of the book, just as he did early on. He talks a lot about the large-scale problems and changes that are needed, which can be a bit frustrating if you’re struggling with depression and are trying to improve your life.
He also mentions that there isn’t much research into these topics at all. Society-based causes of depression aren’t well studied to begin with and there are even fewer studies out there that look at what to do about such issues.
Thankfully, there are practical aspects to this part of the book too.
Most of these are in the form of stories, along with some personal observations from Johann. For example, Johann talks about the importance of coming together with other people and developing more of a collective identity than an individualistic one.
Take Home Thoughts from Lost Connections
Perhaps the most important message from Lost Connections is that depression and anxiety are reactions. They’re reactions to the world that you live in and they’re not unreasonable.
Some of the underlying problems that you face can’t be easily solved. As Johann suggests, many of the issues lie within society itself.
Even so, some of the ideas that he talks about are ones that can be applied to the individual.
- Connection to people is an obvious place to begin. This doesn’t just mean that you need to interact with people more often, but highlights the importance of finding your ‘tribe’, finding people that you connect with at a deeper level, perhaps where there is some type of shared purpose.
- Finding meaningful work is another area. Even if you don’t have control over your job or your role as a caregiver, you can find some type of meaningful work to add to your life. Or, perhaps you can look for ways to add meaning to what you do.
- Johann also talks about sympathetic joy – the idea of being happy for other people. Learning to do this can take much of your focus away from yourself and from comparisons, which can make you feel much less depressed as a consequence.
Here’s another thing – change takes time.
As Johann mentions, depression and anxiety can change your brain. Reversing these changes takes time and patience.
One thing that helped me immensely with depression was the idea of doing things for their own sake. So, the things that we know help with depression, like getting exercise, spending time with people, eating well… do them when you can, as you can, for their own sake.
For example, go out for a walk or to spend time in nature because doing so is good. Don’t do so because the outing might make your feel better. It might. Or, it might not. But, if you focus on how the experience will make you feel, then you can easily end up disappointed and less likely to try again.
As for the book itself, Lost Connections is worth checking out. While Johann raises far more questions than he has answers for, the stories that he tells are powerful. You may find some ideas that help you or your family members. And, if nothing else, the book could make you feel less alone.
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