GP, Author and TV Presenter, Dr Rangan Chatterjee looks at uncovering the real causes of depression in part one of his latest Feel Better, Live More podcast.
Rangan talks to author and journalist, Johann Hari, who says although we have been told a story that drugs are a solution to depression and anxiety, in many cases the cause is not in our biology but in the way that we live. He argues that being depressed or anxious does not mean that you are crazy, weak or a machine with broken parts, rather that your natural psychological needs are not being met.
They discuss how loneliness affects us and how social prescribing can transform lives; how societal values have been corrupted and the affect this is having on our health; and the role of the workplace, and how having autonomy and choices can reduce the likelihood of depression and anxiety.
In the interview Johann Hari talks about Sir Sam Everington, who he describes as one of the heroes of his book, Lost Connections. Sir Sam Everington is one of the pioneers of social prescribing and will be familiar to FHT members as one of the speakers at our 2018 FHT Conference, where he spoke about how he has implemented social prescribing in Bromley By Bow, London.
