Throughout the book, Hari uses his training as a sociologist to explore how the Western world has changed to a point where more and more people are depressed, left behind, and disconnected. The commentary from scientists who carried out the research adds an important discussion piece to paint a fuller picture of depression. The book highlights concrete evidence from scientific studies and could have come from a medical journal as a meta-analysis, providing scientific validity to support his ideas. He does this while discrediting the old “chemical imbalance” theory as something the drug companies pushed to sell their products. Some of these include: Lost connections to family, friends, and community lost connections to a sense of hope for the future and lost intrinsic values such as love. In addition to a chapter on childhood trauma, Hari explores 6 other reasons people are depressed. The rest of the book proved to be just as revelatory and important for primary care providers, who are responsible for 79% of prescriptions for psychotropic medications in the US. Indeed, the section in Lost Connections detailing the effects of trauma on depression reinforced my findings. Up to 40% of patients in my obesity clinic were victims of child abuse or neglect, and up to 57% of those had depression.
1 It also revealed a correlation to obesity, a subject I have been researching through work in the Bariatric Clinic. The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study was initially published in 1998 and drew a direct correlation between childhood trauma and depression. I was originally recommended Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression-and the Unexpected Solutions, by Johann Hari, primarily because it had a section on Vincent Felitti, MD, and his Adverse Childhood Experiences Study.
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