Life is usually easier to endure when we find something that allows us to enjoy or be passionate about. Humans, as an instinctive being, seek pleasure and enjoyment. When we try a slice of our favorite cake, when we practice our favorite sport or when we watch the television program that we like so much, we feel that no matter how hard the day has been, we have a moment to enjoy and feel calm. Pleasure and enjoyment can be achieved in many of the activities we do daily, but this is affected when we suffer from something called anhedonia, which is why, in this Psychology-Online article, we will explain the meaning of anhedonia, its causes, symptoms and treatment.
Definition and meaning of anhedonia
The term anhedonia is frequently used in psychology, since it is a very prominent symptom in many mental conditions. People who suffer from anhedonia are characterized by excessive and constant inability to feel pleasure.
Anhedonia: symptoms
Next, we mention which are the symptoms of anhedonia most characteristic:
- There is a loss of interest or pleasure in all or most of the activities carried out daily.
- Little or no interest in hobbies they previously enjoyed. For example, they stop playing the sport they liked so much and children can justify that they are no longer attracted to the games they previously enjoyed.
- Social isolation.
- Alteration of appetite.
- Tendency to show false emotions, pretending to show happiness when in reality it is not felt.
- Loss of libido or lack of interest in physical intimacy.
Anhedonia is not generalized, since it can also manifest itself only in some areas of life (social or physical). Here some or all of the experiences that cause pleasure or a feeling of well-being may be cancelled.
Anhedonia and depression
Anhedonia is, without a doubt, a serious disorder that must be intervened, but in itself it is not a mental disorder. This is a symptom that frequently appears in various mental pathologies, especially in depressive disorders.
In , anhedonia occurs concurrently with the following symptoms:
- Anergy: the feeling of a lack of energy or strength.
- Insomnia or hypersomnia: difficulty falling asleep or excessive sleep.
- Feeling of worthlessness or excessive guilt.
- Decreased ability to think or concentrate.
- Recurring thoughts of death.
All of them in a simultaneous or fluctuating presentation represent a major depressive disorder. The mere appearance of anhedonia is not sufficient for the diagnosis of a mental disorder.
Difference between anhedonia and avolition
It is related to an alteration of the will, while anhedonia is involved in the disturbance of the subjective sensation of pleasure and well-being. The feeling of loss of pleasure can lead us to abandon all activities that express or represent a source of well-being or enjoyment.
Anhedonia is, then, the loss of the ability to feel pleasurebut that even with this loss the activities can be carried out.
Different between anhedonia and affective flattening
People with affective flattening show a considerable reduction in emotional response, presenting themselves as apparently emotionless subjects. People who experience affective flattening express that they cannot respond emotionally to events that may have previously produced some emotion.
The characteristics of affective flattening could be the following:
- When faced with good news, there is no emotional response of joy.
- When faced with an event that can culturally generate fear, there is no sign of this emotion.
- Few or no events can produce emotions in the person.
How to evaluate anhedonia
L. Chapman and M. Raulin (1976) proposed two scales called “Chapman Scales”, which help assess anhedonia. This scale measures physical and social anhedonia.
The scale for physical anhedonia is a self-administered questionnaire of 61 questions that assesses the ability to experience pleasure from physical stimuli, such as food, sex, and touch. The scale for social anhedonia is a self-administered questionnaire of 40 questions that assesses the ability to experience pleasure from social stimuli (for example, talking or going out with other people).
In order to diagnose anhedonia, a mental health professional must be in charge of evaluating the person’s ability to experience pleasure.
Anhedonia: treatment
To treat anhedonia, it is necessary to first intervene in exploring the cause of this symptom (for example, a depressive disorder, or a neurocognitive disorder).
The treatment It will depend on the cause of the anhedonia. In some people who experience anhedonia, improvements have been observed after taking medications that increase levels of (the neurotransmitter involved in pleasure), for example, norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitors or those known as SSRIs (dopamine reuptake inhibitors). serotonin reuptake).
As a natural treatment for anhedonia, another alternative is the practice of yoga and meditation when combined with exercise. A radical change in diet and sleep hygiene can also help, for example:
- Reducing the consumption of processed food.
- Reduction of caffeine, alcohol and sugar consumption.
- Reduction of the use of the phone in bed at bedtime or any other object that does not allow sleep to begin.
It is also necessary to explore or look for activities that can produce positive stimulation in our lives despite the absence of the feeling of pleasure. It is advisable to maintain this contact with these stimulations.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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Bibliography
- L. Chapman; M. Raulin. (1976). Scales for physical and social anhedonia. Journal of Abnormal Psychology. Wisconsin, Madison.