To add even more power and purpose to the book, Lost Connections is a self-exploration of Hari's personal struggle with depression, including his experience with the aftermath of inadequate treatment by physicians and adverse effects from the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors he was prescribed. It has a section on Vincent Felitti, MD, and his Adverse Childhood Experiences Study. The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study was initially published in 1998 and drew a direct correlation between childhood trauma and depression.

It also revealed a correlation to obesity, a subject I have been researching through work in the Bariatric Clinic. Up to 40% of patients in my obesity clinic were victims of child abuse or neglect, and up to 57% of those had depression. Indeed, the section in Lost Connections detailing the effects of trauma on depression reinforced my findings. 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.

In addition to a chapter on childhood trauma, Hari explores 6 other reasons people are depressed. 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. He does this while discrediting the old “chemical imbalance” theory as something the drug companies pushed to sell their products. 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. The commentary from scientists who carried out the research adds an important discussion piece to paint a fuller picture of depression.

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. To add even more power and purpose to the book, Lost Connections is a self-exploration of Hari’s personal struggle with depression, including his experience with the aftermath of inadequate treatment by physicians and adverse effects from the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors he was prescribed.

Paperback 321 pages second hand