Page - 141 - in Cyborg Mind - What Brain–Computer and Mind–Cyberspace Interfaces Mean for Cyberneuroethics

Cyberneuroethics • 141 On this account, one the most-studied emotional states is depression because of its prevalence amongst the general public. When physicians seek to implement a treatment for a depressed patient, they do this not only as a result of their desire to help, but also because of the patient’s expectation of receiving a tangible form of treatment. This may include a prescription for antidepres- sants, for which both the risks of known and unknown adverse effects must be balanced against the benefits. Medicines are often easier to use than counsel- ling, behavioural therapy and getting rid of life’s stressors or creating a more favourable environment in which to live. This means that rather than looking at the causes, medicine may sometimes look for a quick solution that may result in a dependence on the medical and pharmaceutical professions. In this respect, ‘mood enhancers’ can represent a number of psychoac- tive drugs now available in medicinal and recreational contexts. They can enhance the mood in the sense of intensifying whatever emotions the user is experiencing or of improving the mood towards some ‘more positive’ state. But concerns already exist that human beings may eventually be reduced to being doped in a world of permanent euphoria and contentment. This may imply that there is something inherently dishonest in seeking to always alleviate distress and negative emotions through artificial means, since, as already noted, human beings may need a capacity to suffer in order to be really themselves. Being unable to suffer would relegate persons to the state of happy robots who are unable to experience compassion in its truest sense. However, this argument is in many ways analogous to the claim that hard work is a virtue when enhancement could result in the same ends,165 and is susceptible to the same criticisms.166 Moreover, unease about the authentic- ity of an experience may no longer really matter if human beings find a way of permanently controlling their emotions and reacting to experiences. With new developments in brain research, it is expected that more effec- tive treatments of psychological or psychiatric disorders will eventually be developed. For instance, if it is possible to use brain-scan technology to locate and map stored memories in the brain, traumatic memories could then be removed and more pleasant ones enhanced or even created. More generally, while still in its infancy, developments in neuronal inter- faces seeking to manage a person’s moods and wellbeing seem likely within the short to medium term.167 When persons are clinically depressed, some are already being given therapy, such as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), when this is considered appropriate. In other words, improving the moods or feel- ings of individuals could help in a healing process, provided it is done with their consent, is a short-term measure and is not manipulative. But it would be unacceptable to advocate antidepressants, or procedures such as ECT, for someone who was not clinically depressed because of the fear of causing inappropriate harm.168 This open access edition has been made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license thanks to the support of Knowledge Unlatched. Not for resale.