Great word to slip into conversations – if only you cared enough to want to.Great word for Scrabble if you felt like playing a game. Great word to impress others if you felt like trying. Great word to describe how some people feel when they don’t feel much.Anhedonia is an extreme loss of pleasure in doing anything. It is when it becomes impossible to experience enjoyment from things that once provided excitement or pleasure. Pleasant daily rituals such as listening to music, sex, food, and conversation no longer provide any satisfaction or relief.Here is what someone with Anhedonia might say:“Basically, I get nothing from my daily life; my world is cold and everything in life seems the same dull way. Everything I look at, everything I do, looks, and feels the same. Like grey nothing.”or“For the past ___, I have had only the tiniest of emotions. I feel pretty blah on a daily basis. I have no desire to do anything. Nothing I do is rewarding or satisfying.”Does anyone reading this feel this way? Or do you know someone struggling with such flatness?As always how much of this can be just normal and at what point is an intervention indicated? The first rule of thumb is to ask yourself how long you have felt this way. At the two-week point, see your doctor. Anhedonia can be depression, or a symptom of a major depressive disorder. It can occur as part of other conditions, including schizophrenia, psychosis, and Parkinson’s disease, as well an eating disorder, or substance abuse disorders.I especially worry about us Northern women. We fight Seasonal Affective Disorder because of our long winters. All the sadness, inertia, and other symptoms can become tangled. Let’s get help at the 2-week mark. I want you to be living your best life. Let me know if you want to know more!
Great word to slip into conversations – if only you cared enough to want to.
Great word for Scrabble if you felt like playing a game. Great word to impress others if you felt like trying. Great word to describe how some people feel when they don’t feel much.
Anhedonia is an extreme loss of pleasure in doing anything. It is when it becomes impossible to experience enjoyment from things that once provided excitement or pleasure. Pleasant daily rituals such as listening to music, sex, food, and conversation no longer provide any satisfaction or relief.
Here is what someone with Anhedonia might say:
“Basically, I get nothing from my daily life; my world is cold and everything in life seems the same dull way. Everything I look at, everything I do, looks, and feels the same. Like grey nothing.”
or
“For the past ___, I have had only the tiniest of emotions. I feel pretty blah on a daily basis. I have no desire to do anything. Nothing I do is rewarding or satisfying.”
Does anyone reading this feel this way? Or do you know someone struggling with such flatness?
As always how much of this can be just normal and at what point is an intervention indicated? The first rule of thumb is to ask yourself how long you have felt this way. At the two-week point, see your doctor. Anhedonia can be depression, or a symptom of a major depressive disorder. It can occur as part of other conditions, including schizophrenia, psychosis, and Parkinson’s disease, as well an eating disorder, or substance abuse disorders.
I especially worry about us Northern women. We fight Seasonal Affective Disorder because of our long winters. All the sadness, inertia, and other symptoms can become tangled. Let’s get help at the 2-week mark. I want you to be living your best life. Let me know if you want to know more!