People who experience anhedonia have lost interest in activities they used to enjoy and have a decreased ability to feel pleasure. It’s a core symptom of major depressive disorder, but it can also be a symptom of other mental health disorders. Some people who experience anhedonia don’t have a mental disorder.
Social anhedonia is a disinterest in social contact and a lack of pleasure in social situations. Physical anhedonia is an inability to feel tactile pleasures such as eating, touching, or sex.
It’s also worth noting that some scientists believe anhedonia isn’t always a black-and-white issue. You might feel no joy at all, or you could find that your positive emotions are dulled. In other words, it’s possible to still like eating chocolate ice cream or listening to jazz; you just don’t like those things nearly as much as you used to for reasons you can’t explain.
Overview of Anhedonia Disorder
How Anhedonia and Depression are Related
Although anhedonia and depression are connected, not everyone who suffers from anhedonia has major depressive disorder. Anhedonia is also linked to mental disorders like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and anxiety. It…
