Does Love = Mental Illness?

The Wall Street Journal says maybe (and they're pretty much always right). Sad to say, you can't read the full text unless you have a subscriber account, but since I happen to know a wealthy and influential person who does, I was privileged to read the whole thing.

Suffice it to say that MRI brain scans show similarities between people brokenhearted from love and those who suffer from obsessive compulsive disorders (OCDs) and addictions. Studies of the blood levels of the brain chemical seratonin also show similarities between the lovestruck and those afflicted with OCDs.

And here's the news you already knew:

Using brain scans to study emotional changes is still a new science. But the images signal the potential toll of relationship problems. "It's not a good combination," notes Dr. Fisher. "You're feeling intense romantic love, you're willing to take big risks, you're in physical pain, obsessively thinking about a person and you're struggling to control your rage. You're not operating with your full range of cognitive abilities. It's possible that part of the rational mind shuts down."