Are You Morally Modified?

[Yeti101]

Are You Morally Modified?
The Moral Effects of Widely Used Pharmaceuticals

Neil Levy, Thomas Douglas, Guy Kahane, Sylvia Terbeck, Philip J. Cowen, Miles Hewstone, and Julian Savulescu

Abstract

A number of concerns have been raised about the possible future use of pharmaceuticals designed to enhance cognitive, affective, and motivational processes, particularly where the aim is to produce morally better decisions or behavior. In this article, we draw attention to what is arguably a more worrying possibility: that pharmaceuticals currently in widespread therapeutic use are already having unintended effects on these processes, and thus on moral decision making and morally significant behavior. We review current evidence on the moral effects of three widely used drugs or drug types: (i) propranolol, (ii) selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and (iii) drugs that effect oxytocin physiology. This evidence suggests that the alterations to moral decision making and behavior caused by these agents may have important and difficult-to-evaluate consequences, at least at the population level. We argue that the moral effects of these and other widely used pharmaceuticals warrant further empirical research and ethical analysis.

Full article (though not the final version) here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4398979/

I don't agree with every single thing in this article, but it is (in my opinion at least) interesting and well worth the read. I was particularly interested in the use of propanolol for PTSD, but also the potentially not-so-nice effects of increased oxytocin. I'd be really interested to hear what other people think about these ideas.

[Alchemica]

Thanks for sharing

Having an autism spectrum disorder, I've deliberately tried to increase my empathy and adjust to moral behaviours with pharmaceuticals because frankly, I have had some severe deficits in some areas. Acute interventions with SSRIs seemed to be effective but they also had severe problems associated with longer term high doses, most notably with paroxetine where I totally lost all moral reasoning and impulse control. They have had longer term benefits, including with SNRIs, with regard to improving some domains of empathy and relating to others (particularly intimately) but by far the most influential experiences were with other serotonergics which have had lasting modifications of my morals. The biggest factor is having the social experiences to learn new empathic and moral behaviours which is a slow and ongoing process.

Since I developed auditory verbal hallucinations, I have tried to adopt a trauma model for them. Researchers later published an article with similar reasoning. They attenuated on their own [only to recently increase] but I did experiment with propranolol and reconsolidation experiments to try to decrease their intensity but never reached a conclusion about its effectiveness.

With regard to oxytocin, I never experienced much from it when I experimented with buccal and intranasal administration at varying dosages. It certainly has complex actions and trying to experiment with it in a socially deficient environment isn't overly effective.

You might be interested in:

The rise of moral emotions in neuropsychiatry.

Oxytocin in the socioemotional brain: implications for psychiatric disorders.

The effects of drugs on human models of emotional processing: an account of antidepressant drug treatment.

Edited February 23, 2016 by Alchemica
corrected link

[AndyAmine.]

I have definitely seen a corprate sales and management culture of using SSRIs like prozac to make them more effective at work by making them sharper but also less empathetic and more hungry for 'the kill' eg: closing sales.

Its not uncommon for people to get promoted while on them and then they get demoted or have a beeakdown after they stop because they cant handle the position without them,so the rollarcoaster begins.

Edited March 7, 2016 by AndyAmine.

[Alchemica]

 

Psilocybin use implicated in a reduction of intimate partner violence

The recent study by Peter S. Hendricks, Ph.D., University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB), Department of Health Behavior, had been placed on the University of Alabama News website a few weeks ago but is now no longer available.  The reason for this in not known.  Also, the journal this research will be published in is also not yet known.

 

Still, the information that was once on the website has been preserved by other websites such as MedicalXpress.  MedicalXpress (a great source of the most recent medical news) gives UAB as the source of its information.  Here is a link to the article from MedicalXpress titled Hallucinogens use could protect against intimate partner violence.

 

The study looked at 302 men ages 17-40 in the criminal justice system. Of the 56 percent of participants who reported using hallucinogens, only 27 percent were arrested for later IPV as opposed to 42 percent of the group who reported no hallucinogen use being arrested for IPV within seven years.

 

Dr. Hendricks commented that "A body of evidence suggests that substances such as psilocybin may have a range of clinical indications," he said. "Although we're attempting to better understand how or why these substances may be beneficial, one explanation is that they can transform people's lives by providing profoundly meaningful spiritual experiences that highlight what matters most. Often, people are struck by the realization that behaving with compassion and kindness toward others is high on the list of what matters."

 

I'll keep you posted regarding the publication of this study and hopefully an explanation as to why the information was removed from the UAB website.

 

From Dr. Hendricks' CV, it is noted that he has shown a lifetime dedication to assisting those with substance abuse issues.  I sincerely hope his recent interest in the use of psychedelics towards this end will not have a negative impact on his career.  This has happened in the past but hopefully the current renaissance in psychedelic research will be allowed to continue as long as the researchers follow their current rigorous scientific standards and ethical behavior.  The science is there to support this research and there is no room in science or medicine for bias.

A recent article in Aggression and Violent Behavior (March/April 2016) by researchers from The University of Western Ontario titled Recreational drug use and human aggressive behavior: A comprehensive review since 2003  backs up Dr. Hendrick's research with the following conclusions:

• Alcohol causes aggression.
• Cannabis is correlated with aggression, and personality mediates this association.
• The research on methamphetamines, opiates, and stimulants and aggression is complex.
• Hallucinogens such as psilocybin reduce aggressive behavior.
• Psilocybin is associated with positive spiritual and mystical experiences.
• Psilocybin significantly alleviates symptoms of obsessive–compulsive disorder.
• Low doses of psilocybin extinguished the conditioned fear response to an adverse stimulus in an animal model of PTSD.
• Psilocybin positively impacts hippocampal neurogenesis.
• Psilocybin was proposed as a potential treatment for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

...continued

Keen to hear opinions on this!

[Yeti101]

Also: When you take acetaminophen (paracetamol), you don’t feel others’ pain as much: https://news.osu.edu/news/2016/05/10/empathy-reliever/

(Sorry, haven't had time to find the actual article).