The world's leading medical body has been trying to say for years that if you're depressed, your pain makes sense. The most effective strategy is to deal with the underlying causes of that pain. We need to have a broader menu of options about what's actually causing this problem. For some people it will be worth taking drugs to take the edge off.
Author and journalist Johann Hari talks about his book, Lost Connections: Why You Are Depressed and How to Find Hope, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Hari, who has suffered with depression as a teenager and an adult, offers a sweeping critique of the medical establishment's understanding of depression and the frequent reliance on pharmaceutical treatments. Hari argues that it is our lost connections with each other, with our work, and with ourselves that explains the rise in depression in recent times.