The ability to enjoy and enjoy life is inherent in a person from birth. Sometimes it turns out that the ancient mechanism of the psyche begins to fail and the "colors of life" begin to fade. Andonia is an ailment that develops gradually, depriving the personality of the sensation of simple human joys.
Angedonia - what is it?
The World Directory on ICD-10 characterizes anhedonia as a personality disorder of unspecified genesis and is listed under the code F69. The term "anhedonia" in translation from the Greek ἀν- - "deny" and ἡδονή "pleasure." From this it follows that anhedonia is in psychology and psychiatry a pathological state of the psyche, in which the joy, pleasure derived from everyday affairs, hobbies, and favorite pursuits suddenly ceases to be felt by a person.
Anhedonia symptoms:
- Depression (anhedonia is one of the main symptoms in chronic depression )
- Decline of strength, even with minimal physical and mental stress. Muscle weakness, lethargy. Total reduction of energy potential.
- Excessive drowsiness and apathy.
- Fading interest in activities, even those that previously brought moral satisfaction.
- Reduction of libido - both in men and in women until it completely disappears.
- A person ceases to communicate with friends, relatives, withdraws into himself.
- The sense of joy disappears from all spheres of a person's life, it seems as if they "switched off the light".
- Aggravated depressed anhedonia can provoke the use of alcohol, drugs. Suicidal thoughts arise.
Antedonia - reasons
The human psyche is a very delicate mechanism, and why this or that failure occurs is not always easy to determine. Psychiatrists divided the causes of the manifestation of the disease into physiological and psychological:
- The pleasure center in the brain is blocked, the "hormones of happiness" cease to be produced in the required amount: dopamine and serotonin, and "hormones of stress" begin to be produced in excess: adrenaline, noradrenaline.
- Diseases of the brain (posttraumatic disorders after accidents, severe viral and infectious diseases transferred).
- Mental illness: schizophrenia, anxious personality disorder, bipolar disorder . Paranoia and anhedonia are also interrelated.
Psychological reasons:
- Pessimistic attitude. People-pessimists see everything in a gray, bleak light, only occasionally rejoicing.
- Workaholism - high standards and demands in work, aspiration for success and constant conquest of heights lead to the fact that a person works almost 24 hours a day, depriving himself of full sleep and life pleasures, and as a result, the joy of achievement is gone, there is a feeling of emptiness and loss meaning.
- Various nervous shocks.
Social anhedonia
Anhedonia - the inability to enjoy today because of psycho-emotional clamps. The sufferer of the disease loses interest in people, begins to imitate the emotions of joy, so as not to talk to others, eventually the person goes into social isolation, breaking all contacts. Another situation occurs with the anhedonian, when he ceases to feel joy and love in the family circle, and believes that this is not his love, he is all right. The family collapses, and the person ties up new acquaintances who do not bring the desired happiness.
Sexual anhedonia
Andonia is a disease that sooner or later affects all areas of the patient's life. Erotic hedonism is a natural property of a person to enjoy sexual intimacy. At sexual anhedonia there is a fading of interest to the partner, caresses and sex. Lack of attraction can be caused by neurotic reasons associated with high moral education in childhood.
Musical anhedonia
This kind of anhedonia is discovered by the Spanish neuroscientists in the study of the impact of music on people. Among the group of subjects were identified people whose emotions did not influence the music of any genre and direction. It turned out that these people do not have an autoimmune response to music: the pleasure hormones do not stand out, the heart rate does not change. How to cope with musical anhedonia? scientists respond that this is a feature that should not be treated, such "non-musical" people are happy in other areas.
Anhedonia - treatment
How to treat anhedonia - the tactics depend on the identified cause of the disease. If the underlying mental illness (schizophrenia, depression) or hormonal failure is a priority drug treatment. Anhdonia, arose against the background of psychological trauma, is treated by a long visit to the therapeutic groups of the therapist.
General recommendations for the first signs of anhedonia:
- full sleep (not less than 8 hours);
- the study of methods aimed at relaxation: meditation, auto-training;
- keeping a diary describing purposeful positive impressions;
- phytotherapy (herbaceous motherwort, chamomile, valerian);
- call for specialist with aggravation of the condition.