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Anhedonia is an inability or reduced ability to experience pleasure.

Its one of the primary symptoms ofdepressionas well as several other mental health conditions.

This article will discuss the different types of anhedonia, and cover the symptoms and causes of anhedonia.

person depressed hugging their pillow on a couch

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It will then explain how anhedonia is diagnosed and describe possible treatment options.

What Are the Symptoms of Anhedonia?

Instead, it entails a lack of pleasure in most or all activities you once enjoyed.

Anhedonia has two distinct components:

People may experience one or both components of anhedonia.

While social anhedonia involvessocial withdrawal, it isnt the same thing as social anxiety.

Social anxiety stems from a fear of social interactions, while social anhedonia decreases the rewards of social interactions.

Symptoms of social anhedonia include:

What Is the Main Cause of Anhedonia?

Its not entirely clear what causes anhedonia, but scholars suspect its the result of changes in thebrain.

Treatment of Anhedonia

Anhedonia is difficult to treat.

Ketamine

Recently, there have been some promising developments in treatments aimed specifically at anhedonia.

Does Anhedonia Go Away?

Despite this progress, currently, there still aren’t specific ways to treat anhedonia directly.

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