The Loneliness Epidemic

[Newest Reality]

This is a good interview about loneliness, anxiety and depression. This is a serious and even life threatening problem and it is symptomatic of problems we may need to address since it is obviously on the increase.

If you or someone you know is suffering in this way, this is a good resource and well worth investigating. Since it is a critical social issue and ignoring it is detrimental. Brain chemistry is only a partial factor in some cases and the rest points to situational factors.

About the Book, (Lost Connections):

There was a mystery haunting award-winning investigative journalist Johann Hari. He was thirty-nine years old, and almost every year he had been alive, depression and anxiety had increased in Britain and across the Western world. Why?

He had a very personal reason to ask this question. When he was a teenager, he had gone to his doctor and explained that he felt like pain was leaking out of him, and he couldn’t control it or understand it. Some of the solutions his doctor offered had given him some relief―but he remained in deep pain.

So, as an adult, he went on a forty-thousand-mile journey across the world to interview the leading experts about what causes depression and anxiety, and what solves them. He learned there is scientific evidence for nine different causes of depression and anxiety―and that this knowledge leads to a very different set of solutions: ones that offer real hope.

The Book:
https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Connections-Uncovering-Depression-Unexpected/dp/163286830X

[mnhtnbb]

1. Very interesting.

Thanks for posting it. Going to check the book out from the library.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

2. Hm.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/brain-flapping/2018/jan/08/is-everything-johann-hari-knows-about-depression-wrong-lost-connections

I would never dream of taking issue with Hari’s own experiences with depression. I’m sure he’s dealt with discomfort and pain that someone who’s never experienced a clinical mood disorder can only speculate about. However, everyone experiences and deals with depression differently. The very arguments Hari puts forward about the importance of life events in depression means everyone experiences different events and consequences, develops depression in their brain’s own special way, and thus it’ll need to be tackled differently from person to person too. Antidepressants are a godsend to many people, but don’t work (or actually make things worse) for others.

That’s the brain for you, no two are alike. By condemning antidepressants with such apparent enthusiasm in such a high-profile way, Hari can only risk increasing the stigma attached to those who may be taking them for all the right reasons. And that’s not something anyone needs.

Hari may have the best intentions when it comes to addressing mental health problems like depression, but this doesn’t seem like a good way to go about it. Asserting yourself as a maverick expert and backing your arguments up with suspect cherry picking of evidence and at-the-very-least exaggerated claims? Such a sensitive subject that affects millions surely requires a more thorough, thoughtful and specific approach than this?

[Newest Reality]

4. It is good to debate this issue.

The piece you provide is critical of several factors concerning Hari, but is also a bit of cherry picking and an opinion piece that, as the editor of the paper noted, was appropriate and a worthy counterpoint. I don't think taking anything at face value in this matter is as useful as the discussions, debate and most importantly the needed exposure.

There has been a problem with predominance of the chemical imbalance only model. There is a long history behind that, but I won't go into that here, though it is worth looking up because there are several factors that relate to the shift towards medication as well as ulterior motives. This is, like many important social and health subjects, a complex web of factors and exploring them is useful.

Any interesting question concerning the author is do we merely appeal to authority or an expert in this case considering that the author of the article is in the very "industry" that Hari is criticizing? Here in the US, there is a lot of controversy about the impact and influence that Big Phrama has in medicine overall and we are just dealing with their role in the ongoing opioid crisis.

There are alternative, and more likely, explanations. Perhaps reliance on antidepressants is due to incredible pressures of time, money and workload on medical professionals, and alternative treatments require many hours of one-on-one interaction with trained experts, rather than swallowing a few capsules a week? The majority of the medical community could do without further criticism given all they’ve had to deal with lately. But no, Hari portrays the medical/psychiatric/scientific establishment as some shadowy monolithic organisation, in thrall to the drug industry and unwilling to consider new approaches and ideas that challenge entrenched behaviours.

Thanks for that article. Critique is valuable.

[mnhtnbb]

12. I watched the video and did not hear

Hari condemning antidepressants with enthusiasm in a high profile way as The Guardian article states.

I was married to a psychiatrist/psychoanalyst for 32 years. While in the experience of his practice he prescribed antidepressants, he did not believe they were necessarily sufficient for treating clinical depression in all cases. He was definitely at odds with the increased emphasis on psychiatric practice to rely solely on medications designed to affect brain chemistry.

In the end he chose to take his own life in a violent way. No medications were going to change the outcome of the life situation he was facing.

[robbob]

3. Bookmarking for later viewing

[Newest Reality]

5. Reviews

I recommend a stroll through book's reviews at the Amazon link. The responses are interesting and insightful in themselves and they range from excellent and helpful to some very simple and vapid pans.

This is a subject that I would most emphatically state about one book, that is for certain. Often, we don't look into a subject deeply and investigate the spectrum of informed views and anecdotal experiences until we are faced with the problem personally in some way. No, this topic has generated a lot of literature and deserves more exposure before one can come to any kind of useful conclusions. Until then, an open mind and willingness are pragmatic.

Questioning the current paradigm is merely about the results in regards to success rates and even harmful effects. Also, ignoring how wide-spread these matters are in Western culture and considering it to be only a personal issue is certainly away to avoid solutions and increase the problem of stigma. There is a bigger picture here to look at and it is, in many ways, systemic and an aspect of a cultural and structural problem.

[elocs]

6. I am schizoid and if there is one big upside to it that would be never feeling lonely.

I can deal with people when I need to deal with them and do it with politeness and charm, but I have no interest in being around them any more than I need to be.
I go for a 10 mile bike ride nearly everyday at 3 a.m. Why? Because there are very few people around. When I worked I would volunteer to work weekends and my bosses loved that.
Certainly I could get more work done, but they didn't know that my real reason was to avoid people.
No depression, no anxiety. Life is good, people I'd rather avoid.

[Newest Reality]

7. There are people

Who prefer solitude and I think that is healthy and beneficial if it is not causing personal problems.

Solitude can be refreshing, insightful, productive, etc. What we need to distinguish is the wording in the sense that a person who is alone, (mostly or all the time) and feels very lonely and then has a host of emotional and mental difficulties related to that is not enjoying solitude. So, it is about the reaction and response a particular person has to the situation itself.

Would you say that you are an introvert?

[elocs]

8. For sure I am an introvert but that does not mean I am shy or not capable

of being friendly and outgoing because it's only for a few minutes and I'll never see most of the people again. I understand loneliness, I just don't personally experience it.

[Newest Reality]

9. Thanks.

I am more of an introvert myself. I sometimes find myself to be an ambivert and it fluctuates. As for solitude and loneliness, that also fluctuates. I enjoy solitude more these days, but sometimes feel some sort of emotional loss or distress from being alone all the time.

That's great that you are doing well with it. I appreciate your response.

[elocs]

14. I wasn't diagnosed until I was 58 and I'm now 67,

but I was so grateful to get the diagnosis because it explained so much about my life although I would have loved to have known about it earlier.
Being schizoid is rare but it's hard to know since schizoids so rarely seek help because they believe that's just how they are.
Also, there are descriptions of schizoid online that are no better than caricatures of what is called a personality disorder but has been considered being dropped from the DSM because many consider it a variation of normal.
But schizoid is a spectrum with some being "more" schizoid than others and I'm on the more mild end of the spectrum and a secret schizoid. But all schizoids have an aversion to spending much time with people.

[smirkymonkey]

10. Thank you for posting!

It was a very interesting interview. I completely agree with him, even though I am an introvert and I think that this is something that is not talked about enough. I just ordered his book.

Connection is not necessarily about being around a lot of people all the time, but it's about connecting deeply with the people who are in your life, even if it is for a brief moment.

[Newest Reality]

11. Thank you!

Very good points.

In a rather extroverted society, we introverts are a bit of an aside, as well, yet there are valuable and productive aspects of that meta-program that are often overlooked.

There are some videos on YT that explore and address the nature and problems of being an introvert in such a situation.

And I fully agree that it is the depth and quality over quantity that is important.

[lunatica]

13. I was married twice and have been single for over 25 years

I was lonely when I was married, both times. I’ve never felt lonely being single. I actually prefer it and would never give it up willingly.

I get along Perfectly OK with people as long as I have a lot of alone time which serves to make me happier. The older I get the more of a hermit I’ve become. It keeps me sane and stress free. I love being on my own and not answering to anyone.

Yet I enjoy company, conversations, etc., but mostly because my downtime is what keeps me happy and sane.

[Newest Reality]

15. Appreciated...

It is great to see people share their way of being and how it effects them. So, with that, maybe this thread will be helpful and provide some insights and common ground as well.

Solitude has been revered by sages in the past, not necessarily exclusively, but as a means to be still, peaceful, mindful and also as a tool for a deep self-discovery. In modern culture, that really stands out in contrast.

I see you are flexible and not about isolation, that's a good point and sounds healthy, as welll. They have the term ambivert and there is more of a spectrum in that and people can change over time, as well, so if labels are used, that one is useful.

[lunatica]

16. Thanks!

Ambivert seems to describe my comfort level quite well. I have never heard the term until you posted it.

[The_jackalope]

17. I bought the book on the strength of this post.

It's a great book, especially the part describing the nine causes.

I was quite impressed by his exploration of the overlap of grief and depression (they both exhibit the same symptoms), and how simply following the DSM can cause doctors to misdiagnose grief as a mental illness.

This struck home for me in two ways. Personally, I lost the love of my life two years ago to a medically assisted death because of ovarian cancer. She also tried to commit suicide with my help two weeks before her final exit, so my grief has been deep and complex.

On a larger stage, I have been convinced by 15 years of research that human civilization is about to collapse due to a combination of climate change, species extinctions, social complexity and a myriad of other factors - a collapse that may possibly result in the extinction of homo sapiens sooner rather than later. This belief and the growing evidence that supports it has given me a planet- and species-scale grief that often descends into despair.

When those two layers of grief are piled on top of my long-standing depression caused by many of the factors that Hari identifies, it's easy to see that I am at significant psychological risk. As a result, I'm quite relieved to find this book.

Also, the fact that so many of the one-star reviews on Amazon criticized the book for its perceived promotion of
socialism
was the final selling point for me.

Thanks for the post.

[Newest Reality]

20. Oh, and thank you very much!

I appreciate your candid description of your experience and I also empathize. Being an elder now, I have had several life shattering, heart breaking and depressing times. And I can relate to some of the circumstances you relate as well.

Also, your views on the book and remarks are valuable. There may be more than one side or different perspective about the problems of loneliness, anxiety and depression, but was it important is that we give this growing problem some more in-depth attention and find out what is going on.

May people benefit from this and learn more.

Be Well! Be Happy!

[Blue_Tires]

18. bookmarking for later

[Act_of_Reparation]

19. Oh great.

Another armchair Freud knows how to treat my depression better than my own doctor. Fantastic.