Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression - and the Unexpected Solutions

Hari describes looking for more research similar to that done by Brown and Harris. He learned that all the causes of depression researchers found were really “forms of disconnection” (71). Based on his research, Hari found “nine causes” of depression (72). However, not all nine are true in the case of every person with depression or anxiety, including Hari’s. 

Hari talked to a man named Joe Phillips for his book Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs. Phillips worked at a paint shop where he prepared pigments. He hated his job, felt he made no difference, and had no opportunities to grow as a person. At home, Phillips was not motivated to spend time with loved ones, only to watch television, be alone, or drink. Phillips became addicted to Oxycontin, which “made him as blank and empty as the job itself. It seemed to dissolve the conflict between his desire to make a difference and the reality of his life” (76).

Although he was a heavy drinker and had experimented with drugs, Phillips realized he was taking the Oxycontin to deaden his hatred for his job. Phillips thought about becoming a fishing guide in Florida, but “he was blocked by something neither he nor [Hari] fully understood” (86).