Any observer of politics will testify to experiencing the same feeling from time to time - sickly disbelief, normally accompanied by bouts of depression and a sense of alienation and hopelessness.
You will know it by its most common symptom: a solemn declaration to the effect that the lunatics have taken over the asylum.
Personally speaking, I've been suffering from this malady for some time now - ever since the Government announced its insane decentralisation plans. But it is only in recent weeks that my illness has reached fever pitch, as I watch the main political parties trying to look tough on "antisocial" behaviour.
There once was a time when Opposition parties took its role seriously and would seek to expose an electoral gimmick - such as the the proposed antisocial behaviour orders (Asbos) - for what it was. Instead, Fine Gael and Labour seem to be trying to trump the Government by claiming credit themselves for a blatantly cynical, unjust and counter-productive bribe to older voters, whose largely unfounded fears about crime they are fuelling themselves.
Fine Gael's billboard campaign, depicting a car on fire and the caption "Ireland: A night in the life", is perhaps the most laughable example of this new form of realpolitik. Worse still, the party that is best loved by Labour's leadership believes it is being "courageous" by so scaremongering at a time when crime rates are falling.
There is little point in restating the arguments as to why Asbos are a dangerous gimmick. Neither the Government nor the main Opposition parties are interested in debate - not when they believe votes are at stake. Instead of heeding the warnings of professionals who work with young offenders, they are pandering to a small but vocal "hang 'em and flog 'em" lobby that, contrary to widespread perception, has nothing to do with working-class communities.
Most community leaders from disadvantaged areas who have been asked for their opinions on Absos say they want more resources for youth facilities rather than another quick-fix law-and-order scheme. Sinn Féin, which is well-represented in disadvantaged areas, is well aware of this. Therefore, it - along with the Green Party - is opposing the introduction of Absos, highlighting the fact that the Oireachtas recently passed comprehensive but largely unenforced legislation (the Children's Act 2001) to deal with the serious but complex problem of juvenile crime.
The Absos scheme is principally a sop to the middle classes - in particular a powerful cohort of well-heeled busybodies who perennially pester TDs and councillors about the supposed evils of youth.
In an effort to win favour from this lobby, the political establishment is not only willing to mislead the public about the efficacy of Asbos but subvert the criminal justice system itself.
Absos will allow people to be jailed on hearsay evidence for "offences" that are not currently criminal - a practice that does not even apply in the oft-criticised Special Criminal Court. Disorderly youngsters, it seems, are such a threat to the State that they deserve fewer legal protections in the courts than gangland bosses and dissident republicans.
By introducing Absos, the main political parties will also criminalise a form of behaviour for which there is no clear definition. What, after all, is "antisocial"? A simple, albeit crude, question: how many times have you trod on vomit on the street? Perhaps never. Now, how many times have you trod on dog dirt? Perhaps dozens of times. Who, then, is more anti-social: teenagers who don't hold their drink, or dog-walkers who don't clean up after themselves? There is, of course, one type of antisocial behaviour which is killing and maiming hundreds of people in the State annually, and the Government is doing almost nothing about it. I speak of aggressive driving - tailgating, rat-running at speed, dangerous overtaking, and so on.
Having belatedly introduced a poorly enforced penalty-points system, the Government has backed away from stricter road safety measures that have been proven to save lives in other countries, such as random breath-tests and increased use of speed cameras. Despite all their posturing on the issue, neither the Government nor the Opposition is willing to risk offending a powerful motoring lobby which has not only infiltrated sections of the media but has garnered broad support from the largely car-dependent commuting public.
By approaching the supposed crimes of youth and the undeniable crimes of drivers in polar-opposite ways, the political establishment has revealed its true nature. What we have today is a class of career politician that yields not to the strongest argument but to the strongest interest group - a class of politician that is, in short, both bad and mad.