This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "Lost Connections" by Johann Hari. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading.
Like this article? Sign up for a free trial here .
Is the chemical imbalance theory of depression true? How does the book Lost Connections challenge the theory?
Research shows that there is no evidence that having too much or too little of certain brain chemicals can solely lead to depression. The book Lost Connections challenges the chemical imbalance theory by exploring the biopsychosocial model which posits that psychological, social, and biological factors are the main causes of depression.
Read more about why the chemical imbalance theory is flawed.
The Holes in the Chemical Imbalance Theory
When Lost Connections author Johann Hari first started taking antidepressants, his doctor explained depression using the chemical imbalance theory just like the rest of the medical community at the time: Depression is a brain disease caused by low levels of a chemical called serotonin in the brain, and antidepressants treat depression by increasing the level of serotonin in the brain. Millions of people have heard the chemical imbalance theory from doctors when they sought medical treatment for depression—in 2014, one out of every five adults in the United States was taking some form of psychiatric medication.
But the sheer number of people taking medications for mental health hints at a deeper issue: If depression is a purely biological illness caused by a random malfunction in the brain, how is it that so many people’s brains are going biologically haywire at the same time? As it turns out, depression is not just about your biology. Brain chemicals (called neurotransmitters) and genetics do play a role, but even if you’re genetically predisposed to depression, your genes alone won’t make you depressed—something in the environment outside the brain has to go wrong to trigger them.
Today, most scientists talk about depression and other mental illnesses using the arguably more accurate biopsychosocial model, or the idea that mental illness is caused by a combination of three factors: biology (“bio”), psychological history (“psycho”), and social environment (“social”). In other words, biology is only part of the problem—which means a drug that treats biological factors can only be part of the solution.
This isn’t to say that Hari is against antidepressants in general (nor are most of the doctors and scientists he interviewed). As we’ll see, antidepressants do have some effect on symptoms of depression and anxiety: but it’s a small effect, on a small percentage of people, that lasts for a short time.
———End of Preview———
Like what you just read? Read the rest of the world's best book summary and analysis of Johann Hari's "Lost Connections" at Shortform .
Here's what you'll find in our full Lost Connections summary :
- The psychological and social factors that contribute to mental illness
- The history of antidepressants and the science behind them
- Why Amish people hardly ever get depressed
