  We investigate the existence of spatially localised solutions, in the form of
discrete breathers, in general damped and driven nonlinear lattice systems of
coupled oscillators. Conditions for the exponential decay of the difference
between the maximal and minimal amplitudes of the oscillators are provided
which proves that initial non-uniform spatial patterns representing breathers
attain exponentially fast a spatially uniform state preventing the formation
and/or preservation of any breather solution at all. Strikingly our results are
generic in the sense that they hold for arbitrary dimension of the system, any
attractive interaction, coupling strength and on-site potential and general
driving fields. Furthermore, our rigorous quantitative results establish
conditions under which discrete breathers in general damped and driven
nonlinear lattices can exist at all and open the way for further research on
the emergent dynamical scenarios, in particular features of pattern formation,
localisation and synchronisation, in coupled cell networks.
