Anhedonia

Anhedonia is the inability to feel pleasure. Accordingly, it’s a common symptom of depression as well as other mental health disorders.

Most people understand what pleasure feels like. At the same time, they expect certain things in life to make them happy. Maybe you enjoy riding your bike, listening to the sounds of the ocean, or holding someone’s hand. But some people lose the ability to feel joy. The things that once made them content are no longer fun or enjoyable. That’s anhedonia.

Thus, there are two main types of anhedonia:

Social anhedonia. You don’t want to spend time with other people.

Physical anhedonia. You don’t enjoy physical sensations. A hug leaves you feeling empty rather than nurtured. Your favorite foods taste bland. Even sex can lose its appeal.

It can cause emotional detachment, which can mean a couple of different things. In brief, it can mean an inability to connect with others on an emotional level, and it can also refer to a means of coping with anxiety by avoiding trigger situations (also known as dissociation, or “emotional numbing”).

Causes of Anhedonia

What conditions cause anhedonia as a symptom?

Notwithstanding, anhedonia can be a symptom of the following conditions:

Firstly, Depression.
Schizophrenia.
Bipolar disorder.
Substance use disorder.
Parkinson’s disease.
Post-traumatic stress disorder.
Lastly, Traumatic brain injury.

Research is ongoing to learn more about the causes of anhedonia. Presently, studies suggest that it could result from a lack of activity in your brain’s ventral striatum. This area of your brain sits above and behind your ears. In other words, it contains the “pleasure center” of your brain that receives and produces dopamine. Dopamine is the “feel-good” hormone. Consequently, a change to the activity in this area of your brain can affect how you perceive rewards, like being around other people or participating in certain activities.

Anhedonia Symptoms

The symptoms of anhedonia can include:

firstly, social withdrawal
diminished pleasure derived from daily activities
a lack of relationships or withdrawal from previous relationships
less of an interest in previous hobbies
lastly, a loss of libido or a lack of interest in physical intimacy

Some examples of what it feels like to experience anhedonia:

You used to love playing in a soccer league in the evenings but now no longer have the desire to play the game or interact with anyone from your team.
Cooking used to be a favorite hobby of yours, but now you aren’t interested in it anymore and sometimes have to remind yourself to eat.
Additionally, you’re no longer excited to go out with friends.
You feel indifferent or withdrawn from your partner, and have a severely lowered libido.
An activity that used to fill you with happiness, such as going to see live music, no longer provides positive feelings.

Anhedonia Treatment

Anhedonia Medication

 Lithium Anhedonia

However, the finding that repeated lithium administration restores the pain relief associated with sweet taste pre-exposure, which had previously been canceled by chronic variable stress, led to the conclusion that lithium may counteract stress-induced anhedonia (Vasconcellos et al., 2006).

Venlafaxine Anhedonia

Subsequently, one of the unique side effects of Effexor (venlafaxine) use is mood “switching,” perhaps better known as Effexor mania. In Effexor mania, some patients experiencing depression, anxiety, or other related mood disorders initially experience mood modulation after using SNRI medications such as Effexor. However, there can be mood “switches” from a depressive state to a manic state very similar to the mania experienced during bipolar disorder.

There isn’t a specific treatment for anhedonia. Therefore, a healthcare provider will help alleviate this symptom by diagnosing and treating the cause or underlying condition. Possible treatments could include:

Firstly, Cognitive behavioral therapy.
Antipsychotic medications.
Antidepressant medications.
Fourthly, Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI).
Ketamine injection.
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).
Finally, you may need to combine treatments, like medication and cognitive behavioral therapy. Let your healthcare provider know if you have any side effects like suicidal thoughts while starting a new treatment. You may need to continue your treatment even if you feel better so anhedonia doesn’t return.

Overcoming Anhedonia

Self-help methods

Anhedonia is typically fleeting and may appear and disappear occasionally. The following personality or routine modifications may be quite successful in the long run:

Firstly, Sleep sufficiently
Reduce psychological stress
Exercise daily
Limit the use of electronic devices
Replace negative thoughts with neutral ones
Keep a gratitude journal daily
Finally, try doing something you once enjoyed

The Bottom Line

If you have anhedonia or apathy, you should try to participate more in activities that increase your levels of the feel-good chemical dopamine. In particular, the symptoms of anhedonia may improve if the underlying cause of the disorder is addressed.

Conclusion

Consequently, you might be wondering, “Is anhedonia lifelong?”, “Is this just a phase, or am I going to feel this way forever?”.

In essense, there is no clear answer because the length of anhedonia varies from person to person. Some people may experience it for just a few hours or days, while others may experience it for years.

For instance, you might be coming off a stimulant drug and experience anhedonia while the drugs leave your system. But in a few days, you might be able to feel pleasure again (although it’s important to note that stimulant misuse can lead to brain changes and long-term anhedonia as well).

Another person might live with a depressive disorder and experience anhedonia more long-term. In short, they might continue to feel anhedonia even after receiving treatment for depression. Therefore, it might feel like no matter what they do, they can’t manage to feel pleasure about anything.