Mental Wellness Book Club looks at ‘Dopamine Nation’

The next offering from the Mental Wellness Book Club is Anna Lembke’s “Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence.”

Dopamine is a brain chemical that registers pleasure. People who have addictions feel compelled to keep triggering that dopamine release excessively.

In her book, Lembke, a psychiatrist and faculty member at Stanford University, explores new scientific discoveries and stories from her actual clients that explain why the relentless pursuit of pleasure leads to pain and what to do about it. 

The Mental Wellness Book Club discussion will take place from noon to 1 p.m. June 22 in Room 310 of the William Pitt Union. This is the group’s first in-person book discussion in two years and there is room for 20 participants. Register here to attend.

Cheryl Paul, director of engineering student services and the graduate student ombudsperson in the Swanson School of Engineering, and Frank Billanti, an associate employee assistance program specialist at UPMC, will lead the discussion.