Lovelessness and Depression
A man or woman’s response to feeling unloved can be the result of an underlying depression. Depression is more than a mood disorder; in fact, depression distorts thinking as well. …
A Psychiatrist Discusses the Illnesses of Affection
No one drug is officially available (sanctioned by the FDA) for the conditions of lovelessness or love sickness. That said, a huge array of tranquilizers, antidepressants, and even hormones have been used and prescribed for men and women in the throes of divorce, the breakup of a romance, the death of a spouse or partner, and other conditions with anxiety and despair. Men and women have also handled states of love hunger by drugging themselves with alcohol, narcotics or marijuana. The point here is that the absence of love is very painful and debilitating. I do not routinely reach for my prescription pad when I see a patient in a crisis over love, or someone whose loneliness is unbearable, for I have to figure out not only what symptom to treat, but whether a medication will blunt insight and introspectiveness. Future posts will examine this issue.