Cosmetic pharmacology
Encyclopedia
Cosmetic psychopharmacology, a term coined in 1990 by the psychiatrist Peter D. Kramer
and popularized in his 1993 book Listening to Prozac, refers to the use of drugs to move persons from a normal psychological state to another normal state that is more desired or better socially rewarded — e.g., from melancholy toward assertiveness and confidence or from slower to quicker cognition.
The comparison is with surgery in which the same intervention can be therapeutic (as for reparative work on burn victims) or cosmetic (as in rhinoplasty
for the enhancement of beauty in conventional terms). In general, cosmetic psychopharmacology refers to the use of psychoactive medications by normal healthy individuals, for the purpose of enhancement rather than treatment of a formal pathology. Kramer reported that with the antidepressant Prozac occasional patients seemed "better than well," and he discussed the ethical dilemmas that might result were similar medications offered to individuals not afflicted with psychiatric disorders. Following these case reports, much controversy arose over the veracity and ethics of the cosmetic use of actual antidepressants and other similar medications.
Opponents of cosmetic pharmacology believe that such drug usage is unethical and that the concept of cosmetic pharmacology is a manifestation of naive consumerism. Proponents, such as philosopher Arthur Caplan
, state that it is an individual's (rather than government's, or physician's) right to determine whether to use a drug for cosmetic purposes.
Anjan Chatterjee, a neurologist at the University of Pennsylvania
, has argued that western medicine stands on the brink of a neuro-enhancement revolution in which people will be able to improve their memory and attention through pharamacological means. Jacob M. Appel
, a Brown University
ethicist, has raised concerns about the possibility of employers mandating such enhancement for their workers.
Peter D. Kramer
Peter D. Kramer, M.D., is an American psychiatrist, former Marshall Scholar and faculty member of Brown Medical School specializing in the area of depression. He considers depression to be a serious illness with tangible physiological effects such as disorganizing the brain and disrupting the...
and popularized in his 1993 book Listening to Prozac, refers to the use of drugs to move persons from a normal psychological state to another normal state that is more desired or better socially rewarded — e.g., from melancholy toward assertiveness and confidence or from slower to quicker cognition.
The comparison is with surgery in which the same intervention can be therapeutic (as for reparative work on burn victims) or cosmetic (as in rhinoplasty
Rhinoplasty
Rhinoplasty , also nose job, is a plastic surgery procedure for correcting and reconstructing the form, restoring the functions, and aesthetically enhancing the nose, by resolving nasal trauma , congenital defect, respiratory impediment, and a failed primary rhinoplasty...
for the enhancement of beauty in conventional terms). In general, cosmetic psychopharmacology refers to the use of psychoactive medications by normal healthy individuals, for the purpose of enhancement rather than treatment of a formal pathology. Kramer reported that with the antidepressant Prozac occasional patients seemed "better than well," and he discussed the ethical dilemmas that might result were similar medications offered to individuals not afflicted with psychiatric disorders. Following these case reports, much controversy arose over the veracity and ethics of the cosmetic use of actual antidepressants and other similar medications.
Opponents of cosmetic pharmacology believe that such drug usage is unethical and that the concept of cosmetic pharmacology is a manifestation of naive consumerism. Proponents, such as philosopher Arthur Caplan
Arthur Caplan
Arthur L. Caplan, Ph.D., is Emmanuel and Robert Hart Professor of Bioethics and director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to coming to Penn in 1994, Caplan taught at the University of Minnesota, the University of Pittsburgh, and Columbia University. He was the...
, state that it is an individual's (rather than government's, or physician's) right to determine whether to use a drug for cosmetic purposes.
Anjan Chatterjee, a neurologist at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, has argued that western medicine stands on the brink of a neuro-enhancement revolution in which people will be able to improve their memory and attention through pharamacological means. Jacob M. Appel
Jacob M. Appel
Jacob M. Appel is an American author, bioethicist and social critic. He is best known for his short stories, his work as a playwright, and his writing in the fields of reproductive ethics, organ donation, neuroethics and euthanasia....
, a Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
ethicist, has raised concerns about the possibility of employers mandating such enhancement for their workers.
See also
- Performance-enhancing drugsPerformance-enhancing drugsPerformance-enhancing drugs are substances used by athletes to improve their performances in the sports in which they engage.- Types of performance-enhancing drugs :...
- Cognitive libertyCognitive libertyCognitive liberty is the freedom of sovereign control over one's own consciousness. It is an extension of the concepts of freedom of thought and self-ownership....
- NeuroethicsNeuroethicsNeuroethics is the ethics of neuroscience, and the neuroscience of ethics.The ethics of neuroscience deals with matters as a subclass of bioethics...
- Nootropics
Scientific articles via PubMed
- Psychopharmacology and the human condition
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