Do antidepressants affect the self? A phenomenological approach

Area of Science:

• Phenomenology
• Psychiatry
• Philosophy of Mind

Background:

• Depression and anxiety disorders are commonly treated with selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
• Understanding the self's subjective experience is crucial for evaluating psychotropic medication effects.
• Phenomenological philosophy offers frameworks for analyzing embodiment and attunement in lived experience.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) affect the self.
• To analyze the role of embodiment and attunement in the context of depression, anxiety, and antidepressant use.
• To explore the concept of self-feeling as a form of bodily resonance modulated by SSRIs.

Main Methods:

• Phenomenological analysis drawing on the works of Martin Heidegger and Thomas Fuchs.
• Examination of the structures of self-being and their relation to moods like boredom, anxiety, and grief.
• Exploration of how SSRIs modulate mood intensity and frequency, affecting embodiment.

Main Results:

• SSRI effects on the self can be understood as changes in self-feeling, specifically "self-vibration of embodiment."
• A spectrum of bodily resonance is proposed, ranging from normal attunement to pathological disharmony.
• Cultural norms influence the perception of normal and desirable self-styles, potentially explaining SSRI popularity.

Conclusions:

• SSRIs may alter an individual's fundamental sense of self through modifications in bodily resonance.
• The impact of SSRIs is intertwined with both individual embodiment and societal/cultural expectations.
• Further research into the phenomenological effects of psychotropic medications is warranted.