Anhedonia is the inability to feel
pleasure. People who experience anhedonia have lost interest in activities they
used to enjoy and have a decreased ability to feel pleasure.
It’s a core symptom of major depressive
disorder, but it can also be a symptom of other mental health disorders. Some
people who experience anhedonia don’t have a mental disorder.
What
Are the Types of Anhedonia?
The two main types of anhedonia are social and
physical anhedonia.
1. Social
Anhedonia: Social anhedonia is a disinterest in social contact and a lack
of pleasure in social situations.
2. Physical
Anhedonia: Physical anhedonia is an inability to feel tactile pleasures such
as eating, touching, or sex.
What Are the Symptoms of Anhedonia?
Physical
Anhedonia Symptoms
The Inability to
derive pleasure from physical sensations, food may not taste as good as it once
did; it may taste bland, physical touch(such as hugging or hand holding, may no
longer bring comfort), sex may not feel pleasurable ( you may lose interest in
it).
Social
Anhedonia Symptoms
Lack of interest in forming new
relationships, Withdrawal from previous relationships, not wanting to
socialize, increased stress about socializing, Not wanting to be intimate —
emotionally or sexually, Inability to feel empathy or compassion toward
yourself or others.
What
Are the Causes of Anhedonia?
The American Psychological Association
(APA) defines anhedonia as “the inability to enjoy experiences or activities
that normally would be pleasurable.”
The APA explains that anhedonia is usually
connected to a major depressive episode, but is also frequently tied to other
mental health disorders like schizophrenia.
Anhedonia is a core symptom of depression,
but not everyone who’s depressed experiences anhedonia. Prescription
medication, especially medications like antidepressants and anti psychotics used
to treat depression, can cause anhedonia.
Schizotypy is a psychology theory that
certain personality traits may be a risk factor for developing psychotic
disorders, such as schizophrenia. Social anhedonia is a risk factor for
schizophrenia. Anhedonia may also occur due to recreational drug use or having
a large amount of stress or anxiety.
Anhedonia is also often seen among people
who have substance abuse issues, eating disorders, depression, anxiety, or who
have experienced trauma. In addition, it has been linked to chronic health
conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, and coronary artery disease.
What
Are the Risk Factors for Anhedonia?
If you have a family history of major
depression or schizophrenia, you have an increased risk of anhedonia. Other
risk factors include: a recent traumatic or stressful event, a history of abuse
or neglect, an illness that impacts your quality of life, a major illness, an
eating disorder.
How
Is Anhedonia Diagnosed?
Your doctor will ask you questions about your symptoms
and your general mood. Telling your doctor all of your symptoms will help them
to see the full picture and make a diagnosis.
Your doctor may perform a physical exam to
determine if you have any physical problems.
Additionally, your doctor may draw blood to test
for a vitamin deficiency or thyroid problem,
which may be contributing to your mood disorder.
Anhedonia can be challenging to treat. You’ll need
treatment for the mental disorder that’s causing the symptom, such as
depression.
As the first step in your treatment, you should
seek the help of a medical professional. If they don’t find any medical issues,
your primary care provider may recommend you see a psychiatrist, psychologist,
or other mental health professional.
Your treatment may include medications such as
antidepressants. You should take the medication as prescribed and let your
doctor know if you have any side effects. They may need to adjust your dosage
or medication. These medications affect people in different ways.
A medication that works for you may not work for
someone else with the same symptoms.
Another type of treatment that may be used in some
cases is electroconvulsive therapy or ECT is one of the most effective treatments for depression. Some expert trusted sources feel
that it should be used sooner rather than later especially with people who have
uncomplicated depression.
During this treatment, a doctor places electrodes
on the head and applies an electric current while the person undergoing the
procedure is under general anesthesia. This induces a small brain seizure.
Transcarnial magnetic stimulation or (TMS) uses a magnetic field
to stimulate nerve cells. It uses a smaller electric current than ECT and
doesn’t require general anesthesia. TMS can treat major depression in people who
have depression that isn’t responding to medication.
As with ECT and TMS, VNS can treat depression in
people who have depression that hasn’t responded to other treatments.
A final treatment option is vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). Your doctor will implant a medical device similar
to a pacemaker in your chest. The wires of this device create regular
electrical impulses that stimulate your brain.
Is There a Cure or Treatment for
Anhedonia?
Most
cases of anhedonia can be treated with “talk therapy.” It’s important that you
find a therapist who you feel comfortable, so that you can honestly share the
things you are struggling with.
It
can be difficult to share your experience of anhedonia, so you want to find a
therapist who is compassionate and makes you feel safe.
You
have many options when it comes to therapy. You can find and meet with an
in-person therapist near you, or try an
online therapist who will communicate via text messaging or video — anytime,
anywhere.
If
you are feeling uncomfortable discussing your anhedonia symptoms, online
therapy might be a great place to start, because you can share your feelings in
the privacy of your own home or anywhere you can connect to the internet.
Sometimes
anhedonia is treated with a psycho pharmaceutical, such as an SSRI used to treat
depression. These treatments have a high rate of success.
Common
shortcomings with treatment via SSRIs include patients reporting side-effects
such as numbing of feelings, which increases or prolongs the experience of
anhedonia. You can work with your doctor or psychiatrist, however, to figure
out the medication type and dosage that works best for you.
You Can Overcome Anhedonia and Its
Effects
One
of the challenges of anhedonia is that you may not at first understand that
what you are experiencing is common and treatable.
You
may imagine there is something defective about you, or that you did something
wrong to cause the onset of these symptoms. You may believe that you will never
feel normal again, or that you don’t deserve to; self-blame and shame is common
among those experiencing anhedonia.
You
should know that you absolutely did nothing wrong. Anhedonia is something
experienced by many people who have a mental health or medical condition it is
not your fault, and you didn’t bring this upon yourself.
Effective
treatments are out there, effective, and available,
and you are going to be okay. Just think of all the pleasures and joys that
await you once you begin to feel like yourself again.
Written
by – Mahak Galhotra
Edited
by – Adrija Saha
Social