Food, travel, sex, art, working out, going out with friends are only a few pleasures that can make life feel better after work. Now imagine being unable to derive any satisfaction from every occupation that used to give you pleasure or even worse, from your more trusted relationships. If you recognize yourself in some form of these, you may suffer from anhedonia, a mental health condition characterized by inability to experience pleasure.
External conditions, such as the growing poverty, criminality and the deteriorating socio-political conditions, may unconsciously affect our mood, and even make us feel empty, while the increased isolation resulting from COVID-19 restrictions can make people unable to tell the difference between situational depression and clinical depression. In this landscape, the medical term of “anhedonia” has recently attracted attention as a fancier word for “not liking anything”.
A bit about anhedonia
Anhedonia is a common symptom of depression as well as other mental health disorders. The American Psychological Association (APA) says it is usually linked to a major depressive episode but is also frequently tied to other mental health disorders like schizophrenia. Anhedonia is typically divided into two categories:
- Physical anhedonia, describing lack of pleasure in physical sensations. This can translate into feeling indifferent during a hug, finding your favorite food not tasty or not finding any interest in having sex.
- Social anhedonia, defined as a disinterest in social contact and a lack of pleasure in social situations. It is often translated into social withdrawal. This characteristic typically means that the individual does not find an interest in spending time with other people.
Anhedonia and COVID-19: Key facts
- Research by Columbia University in 2021 to people with psychiatric disorders infected with COVID-19 showed that anhedonia and lack of motivation were worse during the pandemic compared with before it began.
- Another study published in Neuropsychopharmacol Rep revealed that post-COVID-19 fatigue and anhedonia were commonly reported in the post-COVID-19 period, and that the duration after two consecutive negative PCR tests has an implication on severity of both anhedonia and fatigue.
What are some symptoms of anhedonia?
People suffering from anhedonia lose some of their desire for simple everyday joys, such as a Saturday night out, a night out with friends at home, or even something they have been preparing for days. With the reward of enjoyment gone, it is also hard to get motivated to spend time with others. The same people might turn down invitations and skip events and get-togethers because you no longer believe there is any benefit in taking part. More specific typical symptoms of anhedonia can include:
- social withdrawal, e.g., you are no longer excited to go for that beer with your friends.
- minimized pleasure from daily activities, e.g., you no longer find interest in cooking your favorite meal
- minimized interest in hobbies, e.g., you used to love playing in a soccer league but no longer have the desire to play the game
- lack of interest in physical intimacy, e.g., you feel yourself with lowered libido when coming closer to your partner.
What can I do?
Bear in mind that anhedonia is mostly a medical condition and requires help from a professional. In many cases, treatment starts by targeting the primary mental health issue that leads to anhedonia, such as depression. However, as the lines between clinical depression and conditional sadness can be blur in such unprecedented times, there are a few useful tips for making ourself feel better and realize if the situation requires medical attention:
Implement easy routine changes: Small daily changes such as improving the amount and quality of our sleep, exercise, better nutrition and essential social interactions can increase dopamine production in the brain to make us feel better and reduce inflammation in the body and brain.
Take small steps at a time: Going back to an older hobby and see that it no longer pleasures us can be quite frustrating. A useful tip here is to reduce the time spent in it, e.g., do just 20 minutes of exercise instead of a whole one-hour program.
Write down: People with anhedonia tend to have negative thoughts about themselves and the world around them. It is therefore a good practice to record on a plain piece of paper the reason why we feel numb and any thoughts accompanying our feelings. Writing thought down enables our brain to process the data of the case that concerns us, giving due weight to all aspects of the issue.
Keep an eye: Isolation is a nurturing factor for dark or even suicidal thoughts. Reach out to any of your people and colleagues who seem to be feeling down. Even the smallest act can count, whether it’s a smile, a thank you or a kind word. Especially in times of increased stress like the pandemic, there is no shame in giving yourself or needing someone.
Seek help: Either suffering from clinical depression or just not feeling like yourself, both are serious reasons to seek out therapy! Although the above tips are quite helpful for dealing with softer symptoms of anhedonia, if you feel that you will not succeed, then you should consider the possibility of seeing a specialist who will help you manage it.