The Oxford team says there’s sufficient evidence from brain-based studies to support there claim that love is or can be an addiction. They claim that to love intensely is to be addicted to a social object and people who suffer from attachments that are problematic should be offered the same treatments offered to drug abusers.
Researchers say that certain drugs on the market inadvertently dampen lust or libido, and these drugs include blood pressure pills, morphine and certain anti-depressants. They predict that in the near future, there will be more targeted pills to those who need a chemical breakup.
That love addiction hits me hard. Good thing I've never done drugs! May 30, 2017
Living with an attachment injury means you're anxious when a partner withholds love & affection. #loveaddiction #codependency #relationship
— Alan Robarge (@Alan_Robarge) May 30, 2017
Brian Earp, the leader of the study, pointed out that medication already exists for those trying to extricate themselves from a bad relationship. One example he gave was SSRIs, which are often given to patients with depression.
The researchers found that the effects of romance frequently mirrors those of other types of addiction. Symptoms of love addiction, according to the study, include cycles of alternative ecstasy and despair, extreme thoughts and behaviors that can follow from the loss of love. Desperate longing was also a symptom mentioned in the study.
There’s two views of love addiction. One is a narrow view, which is an addiction that only occurs in rare cases. It’s caused by abnormal brain processes and it can be lethal. The broader view argues that everyone who loves is pretty much on a spectrum of addictive conditions.
Earp did point out that the point is to not pathologize love. He said the issue for him and his team was whether the romantic attachment is causing harm to others or to oneself.
