Anhedonia means inability to have joy, (cannot laugh, cannot cry) often seen as not having emotions, also referred to as emotional flat-lining. People talk about being dead inside. There are no positive and no negative emotions. It feels flat as a pancake.
Anhedonia is mostly described as a core symptom of depression. Treating anhedonia, as a symptom of depression, occurs when the depression is treated.
Anhedonia also exists separate from depression. It can be the result of recreational drug use, extreme stress, psychological trauma and dissociation resulting from trauma. Anhedonia can also happen after having been physically extremely ill, natural disasters, war, or having a car accident.
Anhedonia is also a core symptom of psychosis and schizophrenia, and can be a remnant artifact after having had a psychosis. Please note: I do not treat psychosis, schizophrenia, nor anhedonia AFTER psychosis.
Anhedonia can also be a symptom of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
In my experience, anhedonia itself is survival mechanism.
Anhedonia is often incorrectly seen as the result of depression. When there is no depression, the anhedonia is not result of depression. Often doctors and psychologists try to treat anhedonia by treating for depression (anti depressants and cognitive behavior psychotherapy). Experience shows this treatment to not be effective for relieving anhedonia.
Treating anhedonia through the treatment of DP/DR/Dissociation does work in curing it.
Do you want to cure your anhedonia?
Call Ben to make an appointment.
0031-6-16015727
Depression OR Anhedonia?
If you have any doubt if you have depression or anhedonia, as yourself the question: Did I have depression before I got anhedonia?
If you did, you may have depression, and it would be a good idea to work with a therapist to resolve that.
If you did not, you probably dont have a real major depression. My experiences is that if you get a handle on the causes of your DP/DR issues, the secondary depression will lift without trying to treat it.
Secondary depression? Yes. Primary cause is DP/DR, not depression.
Yes DP/DR can be caused by different causes, you can read more about that here,
but... DP/DR can cause anhedonia and secondary depression, and panic attacks, hyperventilation and anxiety.
Read or watch more about that here
Do you want to cure your anhedonia?
Call Ben to make an appointment.
