I'm going to attempt to weave a bunch of disparate and seemingly unrelated links and references into a cohesive narrative, so bear with me if this devolves into a rambling abortion of a post.
I've noticed as of late that there seems to be a disturbing lack of empathy for the mentally ill among folks in the college age range (say, 18-24). Let me first say that I have a broad definition of the term "mentally ill"; I include not only biologically-caused illnesses such as schizophrenia and severe bi-polar disorder, but also the whole range of personality disorders (particularly narcissistic personality disorder , which I'd consider to be an especially dangerous and prevalent disorder among college students) as well as the variety of clinical labels that fit under the umbrella term of "depression."
I would argue that this lack of compassion is a result not of willful malice and a callous disregard for other human beings, but of ignorance. Honestly, unless you've made a point to research the intricate link between your brain's chemistry and your own behavior, it's unlikely that you'd realize that a lot of your behavior is not under conscious control. I'm a big fan of self-determination and the concept of charting your own path in life (fuck determinism), but only a fool thinks he can control everything about his life and his behavior. Let me try to provide a few concrete examples, particularly aimed at college students:
1. You go out with your friends to your favorite shitty, over-priced college bar. You begin attacking the alcohol, for whatever reason. Maybe you need some liquid confidence to make your move on that girl you've been awkwardly flirting with for a couple of weeks. Maybe you've just had a bad day, and you're going to attempt to cope with alcohol (brilliant idea). Maybe you're an unrepentant alcoholic. Or maybe you're just attempting to numb the pain of your crappy life by filling the hole inside with Coors Light and possibly a shot or two.
Whatever the cause of your flagrant alcohol abuse, you wake up the next day with a migraine and an urge to vomit in the nearest porcelain pot. Any binge drinker worth his salt knows the coming routine: rehydrate to get your brain back to a normal size, get some breakfast to combat the hypoglycemia, possibly even pop an antacid to deal with the gastritis. Give it an hour or two, and you're relatively functional.
But there's just one little problem. Though you've dealt with the most immediate, acute pain, you're still stuck in a lethargic funk. Because the prior night's alcohol abuse has temporarily depleted your brain's levels of serotonin and dopamine, you're unmotivated, tired, and maybe even a little depressed. In other words, for a day you're a worthless sack of shit.
The point I'm trying to get across is not that alcohol abuse leads to a hangover. Everyone knows that. What I'm trying to emphasize is that by knowing the mechanism by which binge drinking makes you feel terrible the next day, you can understand and counteract the resulting behavioral changes. In other words, recognize that low levels of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine (from drinking) will result in significant changes in how you act and feel the next day. How many folks do you know that are cheerful and energetic after a hard night of liver abuse? Not many, but with a little knowledge and effort they could at least avoid being an irritable asshole for a day.
2. You've just been elected to an important position in your fraternity. Suddenly, you feel confident and capable, like a leader should. Your friends notice a change in your behavior (whether good or bad), and you do too. Finally, you think, I'm getting to lead like I deserve.
Not so fast. Research shows that officers of fraternities as well as leaders of athletic teams have significantly heightened levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that has a large effect upon one's behavior.12345 The important question, of course, is whether leaders naturally have higher levels of serotonin than followers. Were they destined to become leaders, or did their serotonin levels spike only after being elected to a position of "importance"? Well, the scientists conducting the studies cited above thought of that one too, and it turns out serotonin functions as a self-fulfilling prophecy for someone elected to a leadership position. In other words, the concept of a "born leader" may not be very accurate.
Furthermore, being seen as a leader is often not the same as being equipped to be a leader. Antonio Damasio says it better than I would, so I'll use an excerpt from one of his books:
"One of the many reasons why people become leaders and others followers, why so many command respect, has little to do with knowledge or skills and a lot to do with how some physical traits and the manner of a given individual promote certain emotional responses in others."
The take-home point? If you stumble into a position of leadership by chance instead of merit (and the two are often confused), don't become a self-absorbed prick. Recognize your limitations and the fact that you're probably not *that* much more competent than the people following you.
3. Your friend's going through a rough spot in his life, probably due to a confluence of factors. Could be family issues, relationship troubles, maybe low self-esteem because when he looks in the mirror he sees someone he hates, or perhaps he just doesn't get the respect from his (ostensibly shitty if this is a problem) friends that he deserves. He doesn't want to ask for help, whether from a professional or from his friends, for fear of being called a "pussy" or whatever other invective's hurled at one who admits he has problems. He doesn't realize that cognitive behavorial therapy (or any form of psychotherapy, really) and possibly meds would help him take his life in a positive direction.
So, he does nothing. He stays stuck, mired in self-loathing, and his friends are too self-absorbed and lacking in empathy too realize that their pal is stuck in a rough spot. Perhaps they even make it worse, because they're the type of folks that are so insecure that they feel the need to degrade someone else to make themselves feel better in comparison.
The take-home point? Don't be the the hypercritical friend thats projects his self-loathing and insecurity outwards, in a pathetic attempt to climb a social hierarchy. Don't be the guy that criticizes without regard for how it makes someone else feels. And especially don't be the guy that's afraid to seek help, even when you realize you've got some serious issues.
Life is short, and time is all we truly have. So, don't allow your time to be wasted just because your biochemistry is (temporarily) fucked, or because you have some psychological issues but you're afraid to seek help, out of pride or shame. And of course, the golden rule of life, in my opinion: don't be a dick. You are the sum of all the tiny decisions you make. It all counts, so if you want to know how good of a person you are, think of how you treat people on a daily basis. Not just friends and family, but everyone.
Enough rambling. It's a Friday and I've got alcohol to abuse and poor decisions to make. Hopefully my biochemistry won't be too screwed tomorrow.
References (pardon that they're not up to a scientific journal standard):
Douglas Madsen's studies on serotonin:
1. "Whole Blood Serotonin and Type A Behavior": http://www.psychosomaticmedicine.org/cgi/reprint/46/6/546.pdf
2. "Serotonin and Social Rank Among Human Males"
Michael McGuire's studies on neurotransmitters and behavior:
3. "Social influences on endocrine function in male vervet monkeys." In: Socioendocrinology of Primate Reproduction. 1990.
4. "Dominant social status facilitates the behavioral effects of serotonergic agonists." Brain Res. 348:274-282, (1985)
5. "Short term and repetitive administration of oral tryptophan in normal men." Arch. Gen. Psychiatry 38:619-626, 1981
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