Neuroscience and Mental Health
Unbearable Feeling of Anhedonia: Here’s How We Can Enjoy Life Again.
Apathy is a symptom of depression, a cause for self-harm, yet treatable with therapy and a neuroscience-driven approach.
Introduction and Context
Suffering from mood disorders, including unbearable lightness of being due to chronic stress and inflammation in the past, physical and social anhedonia is a topic close to my heart. Thus, I want to create awareness by leveraging scientific development in the field.
We all feel ups and downs in life. It is part of the natural process. However, life becomes meaningless when we experience anhedonia — a lack of pleasure from things that we usually enjoyed in the past.
The closest public term to anhedonia is apathy. This experience depicts a lack of interest, enthusiasm, and concern for enjoyable activities. In addition, apathy is associated with self-harming behavior such as suicide.
When we experience physical anhedonia, we don’t enjoy natural activities concerning our physical sensations.
For example, a touch or a hug from a loved one leaves us empty. Those who were addicted to sex once do…
