The document discusses the concept of mental health from the perspective of a psychoanalyst. It notes that many creative geniuses like Nietzsche, Van Gogh, and others who produced rich intellectual works did not actually have "mental health" as it is conventionally defined, as they experienced mental illness, distress, depression or early death. It likens the human mind to a computer with a "hardware" body and "software" mind, and proposes that exposing the mind to beautiful or thought-provoking ideas can cause software issues that affect the hardware of the body. It concludes that to maintain true mental health, one must avoid stimulating the mind and instead consume mundane, predictable media.

1. Mental health (by Rubem Alves)
I was invited to make a preleção on mental health. Those that I called supuseram that I, as a psychoanalyst, should be a subject matter expert. And I thought. So much that I accepted. But it was only pause for thought for me regret. I realized that I knew nothing.I'll explain. I started my thoughts making a list of people who, My point of view, had a mental life rich and exciting, persons whose books and works are food for my soul. Nietzsche, Fernando Pessoa, van Gogh, Wittgenstein, Cecilia Meireles, Maiakovski. And soon I assustei. Nietzsche became crazy. Fernando Pessoa was given to drink. Van Gogh killed. Wittgenstein was to know what was going to die soon: not more live with so much distress. Cecilia Meireles suffered a smooth chronic depression.Maiakoviski followed. These were people most lighting and far-reaching will continue to be bread for the living long after we have been completely forgotten.But will that had mental health? Mental health, this condition in which ideas behave well, always the same, predictable, no surprises, obedient to command of duty, all things in their seats, as soldiers in order United, never allowing the body fails to work, or do something unexpected; nor is it a world tour boat sailing, suffice to make What has the Shirley Valentine (if you haven't seen the movie, see) or have a love prohibited or, more dangerous than all this, the courage to think what ever She thought.Think is a very dangerous thing ... No, they haven't had mental health. Were most lighting too much for it. They knew that the world is controlled by fools and elderly. Being owners of power, the madmen become prototypes mental health course that none of the names that I mentioned would survive the tests psychological effects that would submit if you were to ask for employment in a company.On the other hand, never heard of politician who had stress or depression.Always strong walking the streets of the city parapets, distributing smiles and certainties.I feel that my thoughts, may seem thoughts of crazy and why I hasten to due clarification. We are very similar to computers. The operation of computers, as everyone knows, requires the interaction of two parts. One of them is called hardware, literally
hard
equipment and the other is called soft software,
equipment
. Hardware is all things with which the apparatus is done. The software consists of entities
spiritual
-symbols that make up the programs and are written to the floppy disks.We also have a hardware and software. The nerves are hardware the brain, brain cells, everything that makes up the nervous system. The software is consisting of a series of programs that are written in memory. The same way as in computers, that is in memory are symbols, entities levíssimas, I would say that even
spiritual
, where the programme more important is the language. A computer can go crazy for defects in hardware or software defects. We also.When our hardware is crazy we call psychiatrists and Neurologists, who come with their Djalma Dutra chemical and scalpels fix what is spoiled. When the problem is however, software and scalpels not Djalma Dutra work. Not fixes a program with a screwdriver. Because software is done symbols, only symbols can come within it. So, for if deal with the software we use of symbols. Therefore, who deals with human software disruptions never physical resources Valley.Their tools are words, and they can be poets humorists, clowns, writers, gurus, friends and even psychoanalysts.Happens, however, that this computer is the human body has a quirk that differentiates it from the other: your hardware, the body, is sensitive the things that your software produces. Because this is not what happens to us?Heard a song and we are mourning. We read the erotic poems of Drummond and body is excited. Imagine a sound equipment. Imagine that touches disks and Accessories, hardware, have the ability to listen to the music he plays and if aroused. Imagine that beauty is so great that the hardware not behaving and if arrebenta of emotion! Because that is what happened to those people who I mentioned at the beginning: the music that you exit from your software was so beautiful that your hardware not endured.Data these theoretical assumptions, we are now able to offer a revenue that will ensure those who follow closely, mental health until the end of their days. A modest software. Avoid things beautiful and moving. The beauty is dangerous for your hardware. Careful with music. Brahms and Mahler are especially contra-indicated. Already the rock may be taken.As for readings, avoid those that are thinking. There is a vast literature specializes in preventing thought. If there are books doctor Lair Ribeiro, by that risk read Saramago? The newspapers have the same effect. Should be read daily. How they publish daily always the same thing with names and different faces guaranteed that our software does always things the same.And on Sundays, don't forget about Silvio Santos and encouraging Liberato (Gugu programmes of Auditorium, Brazilians). Following this recipe you'll have a smooth, although mundane life. But how do you has cultivated callousness, you not you'll see how simple it is, instead of having the end that had people I mentioned, you then aposentará to achieve their dreams.Unfortunately, however, when you reach this point, you have forgotten how they were.