▲ Anhedonia ▲

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》 People who experience anhedonia have lost interest in activities they used to enjoy and have a decreased ability to feel pleasure.


》 The two main types of anhedonia are social and physical anhedonia:

Social anhedonia is a disinterest in social contact and a lack of pleasure in social situations.

Physical anhedonia is an inability to feel tactile pleasures such as eating, touching, or sex.


Anhedonia is closely linked to depression, but you don't have to be depressed or feel sad to have it. It also affects people with other mental illnesses, like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.


》 Also, it can show up in people with seemingly unrelated health concerns like Parkinson's disease, diabetes, coronary artery disease, and substance abuse issues.


》 Scientists think anhedonia may be tied to changes in brain activity. You might have a problem with the way your brain produces or responds to dopamine, a "feel-good" mood chemical.


》 The symptoms of anhedonia include:

social withdrawal

a lack of relationships or withdrawal from
previous relationships

negative feelings toward yourself and others
reduced emotional abilities, including having less verbal or nonverbal expressions

difficulty adjusting to social situations

a tendency toward showing fake emotions, such as pretending you're happy at a wedding

a loss of libido or a lack of interest in physical intimacy

persistent physical problems, such as being sick often


》 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


Females are also at an increased risk of anhedonia.


Anhedonia can be tricky to treat. There's no clear way to do it. The first step in your treatment, you should seek the help of a medical professional.


》 Another type of treatment that may be used in some cases is electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). ECT is one of the most effective treatments for depression.


》 People who take antidepressant medications (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs) may find that anhedonia improves along with the rest of their depression symptoms, but that's not always the case.

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