Anhedonia is defined as the inability to feel pleasure while partaking in pleasurable activities. Anhedonia is linked to several mental disorders and is considered one of the core features of depression. If you see signs that you or your loved one no longer feels pleasure, even while doing the activities, hobbies, and having the experiences they used to love, help is available at TruHealing Centers.
At TruHealing Centers, our team of experts understands how anhedonia can decrease a person’s quality of life, and we are ready to help. Reach out to us online today or call [Direct] to discuss how our depression disorder treatment program may be crucial to your mental health and well-being.
Anhedonia and Addiction
While recreational drugs can cause a person to experience anhedonia, it is more common that the condition itself will lead to drug use and possible addiction. This is because the pain of not feeling and the human suffering associated with a lack of pleasure can push people to seek out more extreme ways to once again experience pleasurable sensations, emotions, and moments in their life. Drugs provide this, but of course, that comes at a dangerous cost. Anhedonia and addiction compound the problem and must then be treated together.
Social Anhedonia
With social anhedonia, a person experiences a severe reduction in the pleasure once gained from engaging in social situations. Additionally, anhedonia causes a person to have a decreased interest in partaking in social interactions at all. This may put someone suffering from anhedonia on a one-way street to isolation and addiction.
Physical Anhedonia
On the other hand, physical anhedonia refers to a person’s ability to feel find pleasure from physical activity that they once enjoyed. Common examples of physical anhedonia include:
- Eating
- Physical touch
- Sexual intercourse
What Causes Anhedonia?
Sadly, the causes of anhedonia remain unclear. It is known to be linked to mental health issues, including being one of the core features of depression disorder. Additionally, those suffering from schizophrenia report experiencing both physical and social anhedonia and doctors will use the severity of anhedonia in a person to determine the severity of their bipolar disorder.
What Are the Symptoms of Anhedonia?
The symptoms of anhedonia depend on the type experienced. Symptoms of social anhedonia may include:
- Few or no personal relationships
- Complete withdrawal from existing friendships
- Reduced capacity to express their own emotions
- Faking emotions
- Intense desire to be alone
When an individual is suffering from the physical type of anhedonia, they might experience:
- A complete loss of libido
- No interest in sexual activity
- Frequent illness
- Other physical health issues
Suffering from either version of anhedonia may cause you to miss out on significant moments in your own life or in the lives of the people you love. Seeking treatment for depression disorder as a way of addressing anhedonia may be part of the solution to help you feel again, experience pleasure again, and once again participate fully in your own joyful life.
Diagnosing and Treating Anhedonia
Doctors and other medical professionals may use anhedonia as a symptom to diagnose a larger mental health illness like depression disorder. Treating your anhedonia and addiction depends on the associated condition or mental health issue such as depression disorder. If a depression disorder is at the root of your anhedonia, antidepressants could be prescribed along with psychotherapy. Since anhedonia may be connected to the brain’s reward system, a different approach may be necessary for its treatment, including increasing the way in which the brain perceives pleasure.
Enhance Your Mental Health with TruHealing Centers
If you fear that anhedonia has removed your ability to feel pleasure or is causing you to feel absent from your own life, contact our TruHealing Centers team today. Our depression disorder treatment program provides you with the tools to enhance your mental health and find peace in your life. Learn more by calling us at [Direct] or filling out our online form today.