Couch potato? no just motivational deficiency disordered!

Apr 3 2006

According to Australian scientists, being a couch potato may actually be an illness.

They say extreme laziness may have a medical basis, and have given it the impressive title of 'motivational deficiency disorder'.

The common condition apparently affects up to one in five Australians and is characterised by overwhelming and debilitating apathy.

Neuroscientists at the University of Newcastle in Australia believe that in severe cases motivational deficiency disorder can be fatal, because the condition reduces the motivation to breathe.

This new disorder was identified by Professor Leth Argos, a neuroscientist at the University of Newcastle.

Argos and his team identified the disorder, which can be diagnosed using a combination of positron emission tomography and low scores on a motivation rating scale, previously validated in elite athletes.

Professor Argos says the disorder is poorly understood, underdiagnosed and undertreated.

Professor Argos is an adviser to a small Australian biotechnology company, Healthtec, which is currently concluding phase II trials of indolebant, a cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonist designed to cure the disease.

Healthtec has apparently hired a large global PR company to develop a secret marketing campaign to convince everyone that laziness is a disease which is problematic.

However many experts are uncomfortable with the fact that laziness is being promoted to a disease status and are concerned and calling for discussion over the trend to corporate definitions of diseases with a primary interest in making profits rather than a concern for the public health.

One such expert Professor David Henry of the School of Medical Practice and Public Health at the University of Newcastle, NSW has called for discussion on what has been termed"disease mongering."

The University of Newcastle will host a conference to 'hopefully bring together academics, researchers, health professionals, health managers, journalists, writers and consumers who share an interest and concern over the trend to corporate definitions of diseases with a primary interest in making profits rather than a concern for the public health'.

The report supposedly by Sydney-based journalist Ray Moynihan, is published in the British Medical Journal, and could just be a bit of fun!