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

by Johann Hari

if you hear a thought in your head telling you that we can’t deal with the social causes of depression and anxiety, you should stop and realize—that’s a symptom of the depression and anxiety itself.

it’s not serotonin; it’s society.

It’s a signal, saying—you shouldn’t have to live this way, and if you aren’t helped to find a better path, you will be missing out on so much that is best about being human.

Once you understand that depression is to a significant degree a collective problem caused by something that’s gone wrong in our culture, it becomes obvious that the solutions have to be—to a significant degree—collective, too. We have to change the culture so that more people are freed up to change their lives.

All these depressed and anxious people, all over the world—they are giving us a message. They are telling us something has gone wrong with the way we live.