Anhedonia is a term that is used, in summary, to describe the complete inability to feel pleasure or satisfaction. It is a phenomenon in which the sufferer lacks the ability to experience any type of delight or enjoyment (or related emotions) in the face of any stimulus.
What is anhedonia?
Anhedonia is often associated with a alteration or disorder in mental processes of those who suffer from it. Anhedonia, like avolition, rather than being a disorder in itself, has been analyzed as part of the symptomatology of some major disorders such as depression, addictions, schizophrenia or others.
Anhedonia is not a specific or momentary disappointment or exhaustion in a certain area of personal performance, but rather a global loss of pleasure in the experience.
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Causes of anhedonia
Typically, anhedonia arises when there is abnormal behavior in the reward system of the brain, at the level of the limbic system. Dopamine, the hormone responsible for said reward process, would be inhibitedwith which the desire to repeat a certain experience is nullified.
As we said before, since anhedonia is a symptom of some disorders, its origins can be traced by following these conditions. That is to say, there is no specific or delimited origin, but it is thought that it can arise from different mental situations of the individual who suffers from it. In that sense, it is advisable for a health professional to do a Exhaustive analysis and in depth of the possible causes of those who suffer from anhedonia.
Types of anhedonia?
There are classifications that separate the inability to feel taste in music or sex, and have been called forms of anhedoniabut they do not necessarily have to do with anhedonia in the most precise sense of the category, which, as said, is a global impossibility of enjoyment and not limited to just one specific area of experience. Something similar occurs with the so-called “social anhedonia”, although this classification seems to have more to do with excessively introverted behavior or with a total apathy either abulia than with anhedonia as such.
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Is it possible to treat anhedonia?
Yes, since, if anhedonia is considered to be, as we already mentioned, fruit of a disorder that includes it as part of its symptoms, what should be sought is to identify said disorder or mental pathology to deal with your symptoms, i.e. trace the origin of anhedonia in order to treat it.