Felicidad Como Enfermedad Mental

Jfournal of medical ethics, 1992, 18, 94-98

Words

A proposal to classify happiness as a psychiatric disorder
Richard P Bentall Liverpool University

Author's abstract
It is proposed that happiness be classified as a psychiatric disorder and be included in future editions of the major diagnostic manuals under the new name: major affective disorder, pleasant type. In a review of therelevant literature it is shown that happiness is statistically abnormal, consists of a discrete cluster of symptoms, is associated with a range of cognitive abnonnalities, and probably reflects the abnormal functioning of the central nervous system. One possible objection to this proposal remains - that happiness is not negatively valued. However, this objection is dismissed as scientificallyirrelevant.

Introduction
Happiness is a phenomenon that has received very little attention from psychopathologists, perhaps because it is not normally regarded as a cause for therapeutic concern. For this reason, research on the topic of happiness has been rather limited and any statement of existing knowledge about the phenomenon must therefore be supplemented by uncontrolled clinical observation.Nonetheless, I will argue that there is a prima facie case for classifying happiness as a psychiatric disorder, suitable for inclusion in future revisions of diagnostic manuals such as the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual or the World Health Organisation's International Classification of Diseases. I am aware that this proposal is counter-intuitive and likely to beresisted by the psychological and psychiatric community. However, such resistance will have to explain the relative security of happiness as a psychiatric disorder as compared with less secure, though established conditions such as schizophrenia. In anticipation of the likely resistance to my proposal I will therefore preface my arguments with a brief review of the existing scientific literatureon happiness. Much of the following account is based on the work of Argyle

(1).

It is perhaps premature to attempt an exact

Key words
Happiness; major affective disorders; psychiatry.

definition of happiness. However, despite the fact that formal diagnostic criteria have yet to be agreed, it seems likely that happiness has affective, cognitive and behavioural components. Thus,happiness is usually characterised by a positive mood, sometimes described as 'elation' or 'joy', although this may be relatively absent in the milder happy states, sometimes termed 'contentment'. Argyle, in his review of the relevant empirical literature, focuses more on the cognitive components of happiness, which he describes in terms of a general satisfaction with specific areas of life such asrelationships and work, and also in terms of the happy person's belief in his or her own competence and self-efficacy. The behavioural components of happiness are less easily characterised but particular facial expressions such as 'smiling' have been noted; interestingly there is evidence that these expressions are common across cultures, which suggests that they may be biological in origin (2).Uncontrolled observations, such as those found in plays and novels, suggest that happy people are often carefree, impulsive and unpredictable in their actions. Certain kinds of social behaviour have also been reported to accompany happiness, including a high frequency of recreational interpersonal contacts, and prosocial actions towards others identified as less happy (3). This latter observation mayhelp to explain the persistence of happiness despite its debilitating consequences (to be described below): happy people seem to wish to force their condition on their unhappy companions and relatives. In the absence of well-established physiological markers of happiness, it seems likely that the subjective mood state will continue to be the most widely recognised indicator of the condition....