Painkillers: pills for lovesickness?
Christiane Fux studied journalism and psychology in Hamburg. The experienced medical editor has been writing magazine articles, news and factual texts on all conceivable health topics since 2001. In addition to her work for, Christiane Fux is also active in prose. Her first crime novel was published in 2012, and she also writes, designs and publishes her own crime plays.
More posts by Christiane Fux All content is checked by medical journalists.If you are suffering from mental injuries, just throw in a few paracetamol pills? That could actually work - side effects included.
Just throw in paracetamol in case of mental injuries? That sounds absurd at first. In fact, common over-the-counter pain relievers affect not only physical sensations, but also psychological ones. But chemical dampening of emotional pain could also be tricky.
The usage of language already provides indications that mental and physical pain are related. So pity can turn one's heart in the body, betrayal is felt as a stab in the back, a loss can get to the kidneys.
Researchers led by Kyle Ratner from the University of California have compiled in a survey study which research results are already available on the connection between painkillers and the psyche.
Consistent pain patterns in the brain
In fact, images of brain activity a few years ago showed that overlapping regions are activated in emotional and physical pain. Various research groups have investigated whether mental pain can be relieved by over-the-counter pain relievers. They found what they were looking for.
For example, women were less likely to be excluded from a virtual ball game or write down memories of a breakup if they had previously taken ibuprofen.
Reduced compassion
But also the ability to empathize apparently decreases with pain medication. For example, subjects who had taken paracetamol showed fewer emotional reactions when they read about other people's painful experiences than subjects who had received a placebo.
Also, people who viewed happy or unpleasant photos reacted less strongly to them when they took paracetamol.
Cushion emotional pain
Painkillers could possibly be used specifically to cushion emotional pain, the researchers write. For example, after a breakup or a frustrating experience at work.
Problematic with Depression?
However, pain medication may have a negative impact on people with depression. They often suffer from the inability to feel emotions anyway. This emotional numbness could be exacerbated by pain medication, the researchers speculate.
And there may be another catch. Mental pain, just like physical pain, has a warning function. For example, they ensure that one takes care of one's interpersonal relationships in order to avoid the pain of rejection. Those who dull through the painkillers in the blood could become an outsider. This is associated with disadvantages for social beings like humans.
Dangerous ignorance
"People who take painkillers do not expect that they could have far-reaching psychological effects," warn the researchers. The scientists advise against a targeted application in the case of mental injuries. In addition, further studies on the effectiveness and side effects were missing.
Only short-term use is also possible. The health risks associated with prolonged use of painkillers range from stomach bleeding and chronic headaches to liver and kidney damage.
Tags: hospital alcohol menshealth
