I was wondering about neurological disorders. I have heard that there exists neurological conditions that leave the afflicted in incessant agony, but I’ve never heard of any specific conditions nor their related symptoms. What are the worst disorders of the nervous system as far as pain goes?
Also–and more important–are there any neural disorders which leave the afflicted in perpetual bliss? If so, why are they considered disorders (i.e., what’s the drawback)? What are the symptoms? And how does one contract them (or are they typically congenital)?
Although it seems like an obvious choice, I don’t consider bipolar (manic/depressive) disorder to be either of the above due to the fact that it shifts between the two extremes. I’m more interested in disorders that never shift.
Well, there are those who have mania without depression cycles. So I suppose that is a mental condition of “bliss”. In one of Oliver Sacks’s books, he recounts a story of a woman with syphillis who was perpetually blissful, due to the neurological damage the disease caused.
AS to your first question, there is a facial nerve disorder called trigeminal neuralgia, that has been known to drive sufferers to suicide due to the pain.
The symptoms are “severe, electric shock-like pain” that shoots through the face and head and is triggered by eating, swallowing, certain head movements, or even drafts on the face.
My Grandmother suffered from this when she was in her 80’s. Not a pretty sight.
Remember, though, that mania isn’t necessary blissful. The longer it lasts and the more intense it gets, the less pleasant it is. One’s body and mind can only take so much before they start to wear down under constant activity.
As for a drawback to a disorder that left one perpetually blissful, I would imagine that the lack of motivation to do anything but lay there and blissify would be a pretty big one. While the sufferer might not care, being in an inert state tends to be seen as a bad thing by the medical profession.