A Fascinating Theory Stating That All Mental Illness Is Connected Through What Captures Our Attention

A new video from The Atlantic provides animation for an interesting interview with David Kessler, the former Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration and author of Capture: Unraveling the Mystery of Mental Suffering, who explains his theory that all mental illness, including addiction is connected through those outside stimuli which captures our attention, hijacks our brains and makes us act involuntarily.

David Kessler, the former Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, argues that all mental health issues, including addiction, depression, and overeating, can be explained by “capture”—a process where focusing on selective stimuli results in adverse behaviors. In opposition to current research, Kessler argues against the notion of chemical imbalances and offers capture as a common mechanism which accounts for all forms of mental illness.