Cosmetic Neurology? Sign me up!

[Eric P]

The New Yorker has a long article on Adderall and stuff but the thing which really stood out to me is probably this section

Not long ago, I met with Anjan Chatterjee, a neurologist at the University of Pennsylvania, in his office, which is tucked inside the labyrinthine Penn hospital complex. Chatterjee’s main research interests are in subjects like the neurological basis of spatial understanding, but in the past few years, as he has heard more about students taking cognitive enhancers, he has begun writing about the ethical implications of such behavior. In 2004, he coined the term “cosmetic neurology” to describe the practice of using drugs developed for recognized medical conditions to strengthen ordinary cognition. Chatterjee worries about cosmetic neurology, but he thinks that it will eventually become as acceptable as cosmetic surgery has; in fact, with neuroenhancement it’s harder to argue that it’s frivolous. As he notes in a 2007 paper, “Many sectors of society have winner-take-all conditions in which small advantages produce disproportionate rewards.” At school and at work, the usefulness of being “smarter,” needing less sleep, and learning more quickly are all “abundantly clear.” In the near future, he predicts, some neurologists will refashion themselves as “quality-of-life consultants,” whose role will be “to provide information while abrogating final responsibility for these decisions to patients.” The demand is certainly there: from an aging population that won’t put up with memory loss; from overwrought parents bent on giving their children every possible edge; from anxious employees in an efficiency-obsessed, BlackBerry-equipped office culture, where work never really ends.

Chatterjee told me that many people who come to his clinic are cognitively preoccupied versions of what doctors call the “worried well.” The day I visited his office, he had just seen a middle-aged woman, a successful Philadelphia lawyer, who mentioned having to struggle a bit to come up with certain names. “Here’s an example of someone who by most measures is doing perfectly fine,” Chatterjee said. “She’s not having any trouble at work. But she notices she’s having some problems, and it’s very hard to know how much of that is just getting older.” Of course, people in her position could strive to get regular exercise and plenty of intellectual stimulation, both of which have been shown to help maintain cognitive function. But maybe they’re already doing so and want a bigger mental rev-up, or maybe they want something easier than sweaty workouts and Russian novels: a pill.

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/04/27/090427fa_fact_talbot?currentPage=all

[Van Cruncheon]

from anxious employees in an efficiency-obsessed, BlackBerry-equipped office culture, where work never really ends.

:'(

[Don Flamenco]

the fancy term for "borrowing some adderall from your bro before the big test" I suppose.  aka "brain doping"

There was a really disturbing article in Wired last year about which drugs are best for brain doping and how to fake symptoms to trick your doctor into giving them (since, most of the time, doctors prescribe this stuff based on your input and not for any observable problems.)  It was the most shameless thing I've ever read in a major magazine and in such a sickeningly upbeat and perky tone (like a lot of their articles), while telling readers that they should probably do this if they want a leg up on the competition. 

[Eric P]

well that's exactly the same thing

[Don Flamenco]

yeah, i'm not meaning to be snarky, just hadn't heard the term before.  I like the sound of that better than "brain doping." 

[Eric P]

certainly a more fun definition

cp2020 here we come.

[Kara]

I tried it a few years ago but the pusherman I went to prescribed me mostly useless stuff.

I do however like the Provigil though.

[Fresh Prince]

Female lawyers control issues.

[Dickie Dee]

Are doctors reluctant to proscribe this long term? I have an hour or two a day of productivity, and the rest of the time my brain is a fuzz that I struggle against.

[Kara]

In the U.S. it's just a matter of finding a doc that doesn't give a shit and is probably on a pharma payroll. Not sure about Canada (think you live there).

[Don Flamenco]

Are doctors reluctant to proscribe this long term? I have an hour or two a day of productivity, and the rest of the time my brain is a fuzz that I struggle against.

"omg doctor, I think I have ADD"
 
"O rly?  What symptoms are you having?"

"I'm sorry, what did you just say"

"lol, here's some adderall"