Britain on the Couch: A Treatment for the Low-Serotonin Society by Oliver James - a book review and analysis

 

Disclaimer: should you make purchases through any of the links in this blog, Monsta Reader may earn a commission from the sellers, but that has no impact on the cost to you as consumer, nor does it influence the content of this blog.

The central hypothesis here is that Britain has seen huge rises in depression and other mental illnesses since the 1950's (the book was originally published in 1997). Indeed, the author posits the idea that low serotonin, and increased mental unrest generally, might be a very natural response to the world that we have built up around us (politics, media, advertising, etc.), and, since we cannot hope to revert back to the ways pre-Industrial Revolution, James advocates the use of therapies and antidepressants, in particular selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI's), as a means to functioning as well and as healthily as we can in the world of today.

So, serotonin is not only key to mental wellbeing - it also plays a key part in digestion for example - but it is the key hormone in stabilising mood and feelings of wellbeing. And so, SSRI's, which increase levels of serotonin in the individual, are often prescribed to people suffering from depression, especially "persistent or severe cases", according to the NHS website. As an aside, remember at the top of this paragraph when I mentioned how serotonin also plays a part in regulating digestion? Well, that's why side effects of taking SSRI's can include things like feeling or being sick, indigestion, and diarrhoea or constipation. Now you know. Fun!

To support and explain his hypothesis James explores sociological concerns such as how we compare ourselves with others, poor emotional bonds between people, and gender rancour. And, ooh, that last one. I don't know . . .

I have had my own adventures with a particular SSRI, and I can only tell you that, maybe because of personal experience, the way in which James discusses men suffering depression kind of rankles a little. He mentions often that women are twice as likely to report being depressed than are men, but he doesn't really explore why that might be, or why men might be more inclined to self medicate their depression with alcohol, as he suggests they are, etc. 

However, as I say, it probably rankles because of personal experience. As a guy who has been on and off antidepressants, a guy who knows the statistics (men have consistently made up about three-quarters of all suicides since the mid-nineties - just before this book was published; and suicide has been the single biggest killer of young men for years), I was a bit disappointed that the book explored so much men who commit acts of violence, and not much at all into how men seem to be vulnerable.

By the way, that's a problem that hasn't gone away. Since this book was published in 1997, it is still true that men dying from suicide accounts for around three-quarters of all deaths from suicide (Guardian article; Male suicide rate hits two-decade high); it's been true for decades now.

I feel I might be going off on a bit of a tangent. Not a wholly unrelated tangent, but a tangent nonetheless . . .

This book raises some interesting points. For example, how advertising and media has influenced how we form ideas and concepts, the way in which we compare ourselves to others, and how that has impacted upon our mental wellbeing. The author offers us examples of studies to support these ideas, and to demonstrate how these images in media and advertising are detrimental to our own self-image and how we view and value others. And, as I read those segments, I wondered a great deal about how the author would approach social media if this book were published today (at this point, though this is a book blog, I highly recommend watching the documentary The Social Dilemma). I don't doubt the constant barrage of images of pretty people - made up, exercised, dieted, filtered, and even surgically enhanced to fit the ideal of our current social tastes - influence how we look at ourselves and others . . .

Besides the media and images we are surrounded by, the author explores how schooling, work, pressures imposed upon us by ourselves and others, and relationships have impacted our mental wellbeing, or the lack thereof. How we value the lives we live.

Yeah, it can be a bit of a downer, this book; after all, it is a book that's suggesting we are progressing towards more and more ill mental health, so . . .

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. I can tell you, it made me consider getting back on the old SSRI's. Though, I don't know how I feel about those either; I can kind of disappear on those things. Maybe that's why I don't know how to feel about the book! I am kind of resistant to taking those pills, so maybe I am just a little resistant to a book that advocates the use of them. It could be that. And, just as SSRI's can work really well for people, maybe this book will work better for you than it did for me.

If you need to talk . . .

If you are in the UK and you need to talk, you can find an NHS urgent mental health helpline local to you on the NHS website (England only) - NHS website mental health helplines - or, you can:

• Call 116 123 to talk to the Samaritans
• Text "SHOUT" 85258 to contact the Shout Crisis Text Line
• If you're under 19, you can call Childline on 0800 1111 (this number will not appear on the phone bill)
• Mind's website offers some methods you can use to keep calm if you are feeling overwhelmed - mind.org.uk  

If you would like to read my write up on another of James' books, you can do so here, and I hope to see you again soon. And, if you enjoyed this piece, or any of the others, please consider following/supporting me over on Ko-fi; I appreciate all support!

They F*** You Up: How To Survive Family Life by Oliver James

 

I first read They F*** You Up . . . by Oliver James when it was first published, back in the early 2000's. Since then, I imagine that science has moved along, evolved, and some of the theories found within the pages of my copy of this book have been revised. In fact, revised copies have been published since I bought my copy way back in those halcyon days, when the nineties were still fresh in our memories. Still, there is much in the book that James, the author has stood by since its initial publishing. And, though Oliver James has had his detractors, his books have been widely read, and his methods (he is a psychologist) have been widely employed in the respective fields to which they might be applied.

In this book, James argues that it is the way we were cared for in the first six years of our life that has a crucial impact on who we are and the way that we behave as adults. Essentially, he makes the case that it is in the way that we are cared for as infants and young children that defines who we are. To back up these arguments, he uses scientific studies, and further illustrates his case by using 'psychological biographies' of some well known public figures.

There are also 'audits' at the end of each chapter, where the reader is invited to apply what they have learnt from the book to their own experiences. The hope here being that readers might gain some insight into their own behaviours - perhaps overcoming some of those traits that are a hindrance to them.

The author has written a follow up to this book (How Not To F*** Them Up . . .) since this book was published, and many years have been and gone since publication. So, would I still recommend this book to others? 

I have read it a number of times myself, and I do find it interesting. However, it is a non-fiction work and, when it comes to non-fiction, it is best to read widely on the subject at hand, and not just form your ideas based on a very limited pool of information.

There is also the fact that the book is now nearly twenty years old. And, though there have been revised editions, it will also be beneficial to the reader that they read more recently published material on the subjects raised in the book. This goes for all non-fiction - methods of study and analyses are ever evolving, and so our understanding betters with them.

Having said that, I would recommend the book, if you are interested in psychology at all, and family relationships. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I have read it, and reread it, and I will probably read it again . . .

I'm still a bit of a mess myself though, to be honest. So, don't pin your hopes to this book as a cure for all your mental and emotional ills!

You can purchase a copy of this book here (Disclosure: if you make a purchase through links in this blog, I may earn a commission from the sellers, but that does not influence the content of this blog).

If you liked this post, or any of my others, please feel free to offer a little support over here - it all helps me pursue my writerly endeavours! Thank you!

Signing off - be good, be kind, read lots, and be safe.