How Often Can People Experience Anhedonia
An individual who is not able to sense pleasure suffers from an illness called anhedonia. The individual will not find happiness from activities that are pleasurable. With this condition, the patient cannot do anything to compel himself to sense pleasure. Anhedonia can only be dealt with by waiting for its symptoms to diminish.
Anhedonia is actually a manifestation of other disorders. Those who are suffering from schizophrenia and depression may also display an episode of anhedonia. Those who cannot take enough sleep may also suffer from this condition. According to addiction treatment experts, drug abusers especially those who abuse stimulants like methamphetamine or cocaine are also likely to develop anhedonia when they withdraw from the medicines. In fact, they may endure this condition for quite a long period of time after they obtain sobriety.
Scientists do not have a full idea of the causes of anhedonia. It is likely for a person’s body to develop problems with rewards processing. When this disorder is endured, a person’s dopamine may not be properly processed. Dopamine is the brain’s neurotransmitter that is responsible for a person’s pleasure and joy sensations.
It is normal for people to undergo stressful periods but when they experience total inability to sense pleasure, this may signify deeper issues. Often, it is not difficult to dismiss this feeling because people don’t necessarily need pleasure all the time. But this problem may be a beginning of some undesirable health issues that can be suffered by a person for a long term.
Dealing with anhedonia will depend on the seriousness of its signs and some other issues. Some addiction recovery specialists say that people who have a drug use history should be provided with more treatments than a woman who is enduring postpartum depression. Anhedonia can be cured through drugs, counseling and cognitive behavior therapy.
When it comes to addressing the symptoms of anhedonia, an individual may need more than a single kind of treatment because such symptoms may subside in a gradual manner. Usually the recovery process often includes joyful moments.
For a lot of people, it is uneasy to talk about anhedonia because of its indulgence. It is not easy to compare an individual who is not able to feel pleasure with an individual who has a physical disability or cancer. However, all of these individuals are sick and should be given treatment. The signs and symptoms of anhedonia should be addressed promptly by a medical expert to avoid further complications.
While anhedonia can be a symptom of other disorders, it has its own signs that should be addressed at the earliest possible time. Just like any other disorder, anhedonia can lead to other health issues that can put the life of the sufferer at risk.
