This book is a fascinating look at our society and culture, and the consequences this has on our emotional health. The author debunks several misconceptions and myths that are commonly held about anxiety and depression. He takes you through academic research and scientific studies but the conversational style makes things easy to understand and digest. As the author had a personal reason behind exploring the topic, this made the book an automatically more interesting and authentic read. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand how to approach feelings of loss and depression. There are some really relevant and applicable strategies outlined that anyone could try to improve their life and mental health.

This is a really fascinating read for anybody who has suffered from depression or has a loved one experiencing it. Hari challenges a lot of what we take as given about our understanding of what depression and anxiety are and why some people suffer more than others. Backed up by lots of research from the past 40 years this is a really thought-provoking read. I for one have definitely had to question my understanding of depression.

As I woman that has suffered on and off with depression and anxiety, I found Lost Connections very interesting and insightful.

I read Lost Connection with the fortune never to have suffered from depression but interested in how it affects some people during their lifetime. Johann Hari’s seven theories on how, as a sufferer himself the writer is looking for an alternative to the cocktail of prescription drugs currently being provided to sufferers.
Touching on numerous studies and stories, Lost Connections promotes behaviours to simplify life in a way which would make us all happy. From the perspective of the loss of the community, to the disregard of nature in our lives and our materialistic desires the writer provides some of the ways he feels lead to a person becoming depressed rather than the more promoted chemical in-balance.
For me, I think there is some advice in this book which I know people could take away and use to make them happier in their day to day lives and I think Johann Hari is brave in promoting these ideas as an alternative.

This is an interesting read, that is easy to read (if you see what I mean). It is a timely book insofar as anxiety, depression and "mental health" are on the rise, and the only strategies to help or "cure" are medication. I think when you read this, if you are interested enough to do so, you won't be surprised by the fact that the drugs don't really work and other things do. You may be surprised by the myth of seratonin though, and how there isn't (if I understand correctly) a great deal of science behind it, yet it's trotted out time after time to justify the prescribing of anti-depressants. I think Hari could have done with a bit of editing, but other than that I enjoyed the book. I would definitely recommend it.

Interesting read about the causes if depression, insights into what causes it, the decisions we think we make and how they affect us. This book discusses mental issues in a sensitive way as well as being enjoyable. I recommend this book. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

This was an interesting read about what causes depression - environmental factors rather than a chemical imbalance. I liked the fact the sciency bits were understandable and simply written and even though the author was arguing for environmental factors, the book didn’t lecture you like so many other self help books.

There are lots of relatable factors that may help people understand what affects their mental health.

This book is incredibly interesting and informative.
Having suffered with mental health issues myself, it was great to look at ways in which our relationships, families and community connections can affect us in this way. We may not have a chemical imbalance, it may be something that has traumatised us and that can be worked on through therapy or looking at our connections with other people.
Fascinating read.

Lost Connections is an incredible book which has caused me to question everything I thought I knew about depression and anxiety and my own mental health. The stories Johann uncovers as he goes about his research are truly fascinating, you will be amazed by the crucial scientific studies around mental health he discovers which have so far gone largely undocumented. An important thing to note is just how enjoyable this book is to read. Johann has a real skill in bringing warmth and humour to a serious subject which could otherwise be much more difficult to digest. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has had depression and anxiety or knows someone close to them who has.

This is a greatly important book - it explores the causes and presentations of depression in a sensitive way. Beautifully written, the exploration of different personal situations around the world is fascinating. I really feel I have to read this book again to appreciate it fully. As someone who has lived with depression it resonated deeply, but that doesn't mean to say it won't do the same for other readers with different personal circumstances. I really looking forward to reading this again soon!

Well researched with excellent footnotes which allow the reader to form their own opinions based on the original research documents. Both a practical help guide and a scholarly discussion of issues surrounding mental health, how to promote wellbeing and strategies for dealing with pressures relating to depression and anxiety. Clearly written and non - judgemental.

The author of this book sets out to show that depression and anxiety are not simply down to chemical imbalances in the brain, treatable by anti-depressant medication but that they are symptoms of a larger issue and, that, without dealing with the root cause of the problems in society, we cannot begin to address the rise in their occurrence.

The book makes for an interesting read, collecting and compiling studies that support the thesis. The argument is compelling and I'd be amongst the first to agree that society can cause such responses and that without change to our way of thinking and behaving such responses will pervade. However, there is a lack of balance in the book and, what is presented as a researched piece, loses some of its persuasive power due to the huge repetition of both argument and supporting studies. Rather like this review, its verbosity detracts.

As a work to provoke thought I would commend the book. As a book for those who are seeking help and guidance, I would add a word of caution - it is not balanced and, for some, the current traditional treatments may be what is needed, at least in the short term.

With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC

Fascinating insight into the potential causes of depression and anxiety. Some relatable and really interesting points, some others (around medication) I completely disagree with. On balance, well-researched and easy to read.

Hari argues that depression is not caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain and against therefore the use of antidepressant drugs as the primary solution. Instead he makes the case that anxiety and depression are caused by one of several forms of disconnection. He then puts forward pointers towards reconnection.

There's some thought-provoking material here, useful towards understanding and improving mental health. However I found myself questioning the extent to which it pertained to full blown debilitating clinical depression.

The narrative style is highly personal and rather hyperbolic; rather long winded too. I found it exasperating after the first few chapters.

Parts of this book are an interesting read. Some of the studies are interesting and a few of the ideas were new to me. There is however a lot of repetition in this book. It was good though to read the theories and the studies from someone else's perspective. I feel as well that medication should not be seen as the wrong way to go. It is not the bad guy. It does help some people.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

This is a book which makes you stop and think. The way we live our lives is down to us but, apparently, not as completely as we would like to believe.

The choices made for us, the decisions we accept because of who makes them are, medicinally, laid bare here and are, shockingly, no longer as clear cut as they first appeared. I have taken tablets for anxiety for many years and had no intention of stopping.  This book has changed my thought process and will continue to do so for a while I think as I work out my next step.

I was able to read a copy of this book thanks to Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who is concerned about their mental health or that of someone they care about. It offers a different perspective on a difficult subject, which is never a bad thing.

One of the best books I have ever read and I will make sure I recommend this to everyone I speak to. In fact, I would go so far as to say I found this book life-changing. I have been on medication for a number of years now, despite not being that convinced it actually works and now I know what I have suspected for a while- it doesn't! In the form of beautifully written stories, this books to attempt to unravel all of the myriad of reasons why depression and anxiety are at such high levels in the Western world. It then attempts to discuss what you can do to help yourself recover from these conditions. I found the first half of the book more interesting than the second, but, that said, it was all pretty fascinating. This book made me angry, it made me cry and it made me so hopeful for my future. I loved, loved, loved this book and could not rate it highly enough. It is fantastic and already been told by my husband to please shut up about it as I can not stop talking about it! If you've ever wondered why depression and anxiety are so prevalent in the modern world, then you must read this book, it is mind-blowing. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.