Significantly reduced emotional abilities, including difficulty articulating thoughts and feelings.

Negative feelings about self and others.

Severe difficulty following a conversation lack of interest in listening.

Increased difficulty adjusting in social situations intently observant of others, but without engaging socially, almost as if not present in the room.

Frequently sick, with the flu, colds, etc.Unexplained paranoia, dread, fear, social/emotional withdrawal, and/or irritability.Practically impossible to smile or laugh at anything mirthless.Inconsolable, and non-respondent when comfort is offered.Despondent and with feelings of sadness and hopelessness.How does anhedonia manifest? Following are some common symptoms/signs to be aware of: This inability to experience pleasure (or to maintain a good mood for very long) can severely impact the quality of your life. It’s as if the brain’s pleasure/satisfaction center shorts out or shuts down completely. Some research indicates that anhedonic conditions might be caused by lower activity in a region of your brain called the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC).Īnhedonia inflicts a loss of interest in activities and hobbies that you once found pleasurable, such as eating, socializing, touching, friendships, relationships, music, events, conversations, and even sex. Typically, when you experience something pleasurable, the “happy chemical” dopamine rushes through your brain’s reward mechanism. Have you ever gone through a phase (perhaps you’re in the middle of one now) when you wake up in the morning without any emotion, opinion, or interest in life? Completely “blah” about everything? Caring about nothing? Emotionally flat? Note that major depressive disorder/anhedonia are not the same thing as dysthymia, which is also known as a persistent depressive disorder.

In Greek, anhedonia directly translates to “without pleasure.” Anhedonia is a symptom of other psychiatric illnesses, such as schizophrenia. What exactly is it? A working definition of anhedonia would be that it is one of the primary symptoms of major depressive disorder (MDD). Eye Movement Desensitization ReprocessingĪnhedonia has received an increasing amount of attention in the past few years.Intensive Outpatient Program / Case Management.

An hedonic