It's perfectly normal to have periods where you don't enjoy anything you normally enjoy doing for a short time. While these feelings come and go for many people, some people fall into a vicious circle where they can't enjoy anything. This condition is called anhedonia in the medical literature.

What is Anhedonia?

Anhedonia means a state of lack of enjoyment. It is also a symptom used when diagnosing certain diseases. It is also known as the disease of not being able to enjoy anything among the people.

What are the Symptoms of Anhedonia?

The symptoms of a lack of enjoyment are as follows:

• Deceleration in perception and movements
• Lack of interest in life
• No longer enjoying activities that were previously enjoyable
• Lack of concentration
• Extreme change in sexual desire
• Excessive sleep or insomnia
• Weakness and fatigue
• Overeating or loss of appetite

What are the Causes of Inability to Enjoy Enjoyment?

Anhedonia, a wide spectrum is encountered. These;

• Hormonal changes
• Decreased level of pleasure after substance use (tolerance development)
• Genetic predisposition
• Altered mood due to side effects of various medications
• Having a low socioeconomic level
• Changes in the body as a result of chronic diseases
• Distancing from the outside world after trauma

What are the Conditions that Trigger Anhedonia?

The risk factors for anhedonia are as follows:

• Traumatic experiences
• Sexual abuse history
• Physical or emotional neglect
• A permanent disease that deeply affects the person's life
• Eating disorder

Relationship Between Anhedonia and Depression

Depression, it is immediately noticeable that the person is in depressive feelings. It is also possible to observe this situation as loss of energy, fatigue, exhaustion, change in appetite. In addition, a decrease in sexual desire, physical complaints, psychological pain, and worthlessness occur. Depending on these, situations such as low self-esteem, anxiety, decrease in self-perception, pessimism, hopelessness, and death thoughts occur. Such conditions are referred to as anhedonia.

The change in emotions causes you to not enjoy life and distances you from your family. Therefore, depression and anhedonia are psychological disorders that are closely related and trigger each other.

Treatment of the Inability to Enjoy Enjoyment

Anhedonia occurs with some basic symptoms such as depression. In such cases, psychotherapy and medicated treatment options are available when symptoms appear. In order to determine the treatment, it is very important to know how anhedonia occurs and to measure its severity. That's why we need to address your life story and identify situations that prevent you from enjoying life.

The same treatment is not applied to everyone with anhedonia. Because the severity of the disease varies from person to person. For some people, only psychotherapy is sufficient, while for others, drug treatment may be required. For this reason, you should consult with a specialist and ensure that a special treatment plan is created for you.

Advice for Those Who Don't Enjoy Life

It is not correct to make a list under the name of recommendations for those who do not enjoy life. However, by asking yourself some questions, you can identify situations that prevent you from enjoying and find a solution for them. In this way, you can prevent the development of anhedonia. Here are some questions you can ask yourself:

• What are the things that make me unhappy?
• How long have they been making me unhappy?
• How does this unhappiness affect my life?
• If I am married, how does it affect my family relationships?
• How does it affect my social relationships?
• How is my work life affected?
• Does it affect my sleep status and appetite?

It is very important to list your answers to these questions and to develop an alternative to them. You can determine the measures you can take according to the answers you give and take precautions for anhedonia. If the methods you use and the solutions you find do not provide any positive change in your dissatisfaction, you should contact a specialist as soon as possible.