Posted by linkadge on July 25, 2009, at 15:59:48
I was thinking about it and I have a hypothesis, that a lack of pleasure is the cause of all/most mental afflictions. When I say pleasure, I don't mean that selfish crack like hedonic overdrive, I mean the good pleasure (opiates?), where you just want to settle down and enjoy the moment.
For instance,
depression -
obviousdysphoric mania -
too much drive not enough settle down and feel ok in the momentanxiety -
too much pain, not enough pleasure (opiates have antianxiety properties)
OCD -
fueled by anxietyPTSD -
inability to turn off bad memories
increasing pleasure would either diminsh bad memories or put a positive spin on themeuphoric mania -
this one may be the exception. I think this is cause by simultanious high motivation and high pleasure. But, I think if you increased pleasure further, you would counterballance hypermotivation and end the mania (opiates actually have anitmanic effects)schizophrenia -
another possible exception, opiates do have antischiozphrenic effects in some case studies.
but this may be due to their effects on glumamte metabolismNote: all the SSRI's and TCA's have opioid like effects. Not that I am necessarily condoning opiates for mental illness.
Linkadge
poster:linkadge
thread:908530
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090721/msgs/908530.html