Source: Beijing Daily Client
Reprinted from: Beijing Daily Client
Anorexia, depression, autism… As more and more mental illnesses and various terms emerge, people find themselves both helpless and unable to ignore their existence. Some individuals respond to mental illnesses by denying, stigmatizing, discriminating against, and belittling these conditions and those who suffer from them, attempting to maintain stability in their own lives and distance themselves from these disturbing factors.
If we consider the brain as a machine that operates stably, its functioning is usually similar; when people experience the world in a way that differs from others, they may exhibit different behaviors but generally operate within a “reasonable” logic.
However, this machine cannot remain stable indefinitely. It is often influenced by various stimuli or disruptions, which can push the brain into a state of disorder and instability. For those manipulated by this machine, disruption and instability do not mean complete cessation; the brain enters another operating state, altering their perception of the world and surroundings as they adapt to rationalizing the current operational logic. This may lead people to be unaware of their problems, failing to realize that they are in a chaotic and disordered state, until the disorder deviates further from the norm or suddenly ceases. Only then do people begin to experience inexplicable fear and anxiety, seeking to escape this state. Yet, faced with a brain accustomed to erroneous and unstable operational logic, it is challenging for individuals to forcibly change under its influence. They need to consistently remind themselves at a conscious level to correct this, recognizing that the first step out of the gloom is acknowledging one is indeed in it. The best way to confront fear is to first understand fear itself; here, people also need to recognize mental illnesses and psychological issues as the first step toward meaningful change.
Nobel Prize laureate in Physiology or Medicine, renowned neuroscientist Eric Kandel, has dedicated his life to research in psychiatry and physiology, exploring human behavior from a biophysical perspective. While writers, historians, and philosophers use various rational analyses and artistic creations to interpret human nature, Kandel’s inquiry into humanity focuses on how it emerges from the materiality of the brain. All of this stems from the precise connections and interactions among the 86 billion neurons in the brain, enabling various forms of precise cognition and self-awareness. However, if neurons are damaged or altered by disease, some neurons may fail to connect and interact or may not even form at all, leading to brain disorders. Following this line of thought, Kandel wrote “Neuroscience and Mental Illness in Our Time,” delving into the relationship between what is commonly referred to as mental illness and ourselves.
Since ancient times, people have been sensitive to pain and have deep memories of it; intense pain can also lead individuals to feel a sense of depression. Shakespeare, through Hamlet, described the state of depression this way: “Why does everything in this world seem so wearisome, stale, flat, and unprofitable to me!” The most common symptom of depression is that the patient feels persistent sadness and intense mental pain.
