ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the idea that substance addictions, suicidal behaviour and the so-called "classical psychosomatic symptoms" can be viewed as social stress diseases and protomental disorders. It addresses how the ideas about protomental phenomena, that is raw emotional experiences and difficulties with their symbolic transformation, can apply to these three classes of disorder. There is a consistent report of systematic failure of individual therapeutics, both medical and psychotherapeutic, in delivering treatment for alcohol and drug addiction. There is evidence that the majority of suicide attempts are precipitated by stressful experiences not necessarily arising from mental illness; in other words, it is reasonable to propose that the suicidal act alone is not a criterion of an individual mental disorder. James considered that a number of psychosomatic alterations were affect discharges, which remained dissociated from primary mental content. Deficits in emotional awareness and alexithymia have been identified in the other two categories of problems: addictions and suicidal behaviour.
