![]() ![]() ![]() Stories stick around because they are far easier to consume than the messy reality of science. Hari argues that depression and anxiety have been presented to patients as a result of a “broken brain”, a story which is compelling and easy to tell, but ultimately damaging. When we’re little, we aren’t told about the world as it actually is, but through stories designed to help us understand it: electricity flows like water, grandad has “gone to sleep”. What this criticism misses is that, while these myths around depression have been officially debunked, many still believe them. In fact, as critics have already pointed out, most of the book’s claims would not shock those in the medical or mental health profession, despite Hari’s presentation of them as counter-cultural and new. ![]() Nor is the fact that depression and anxiety aren’t believed by most scientists to be caused by a “serotonin imbalance” in the brain – what Hari decries as the “serotonin story” fed to sufferers. Of course, doubts around antidepressants are nothing new. (Photo: Simon Emmett) Debunked, but still ubiquitous ![]()
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