- Reduced ability or complete inability to experience pleasure from activities once found enjoyable - It encompasses deficits in multiple facets of reward, including: - Reduced motivation or anticipatory pleasure ("wanting") - Reduced consummatory pleasure ("liking") - Impairments in learning from rewards - Considered a key symptom in [[Major Depressive Disorder|Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)]] and other psychiatric and ![[neurological]] conditions - May also be linked to emotional numbing, affective blunting, or flat affect in certain disorders ## Types - Physical Anhedonia: decreased pleasure from physical sensations such as food, touch, or sex - Social Anhedonia: reduced pleasure or interest in social interactions and relationships ## Symptoms - Feeling emotionally numb or disconnected - Loss of interest in hobbies, social interaction, and activities previously enjoyed - Apathy and lack of motivation - Reduced emotional responses or pleasure in response to rewarding stimuli - Difficulty planning or initiating activities - Feeling "empty," "off," or detached from emotional experiences - May include changes in libido and sleep patterns ## Causes and Risk Factors - Often associated with [[Depression]] but also present in: - [[Schizophrenia]], [[Bipolar Disorder]], [[Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)]] - Neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s - [[Substance Use Disorder|Substance Use Disorder (SUD)]] - Chronic physical illnesses and brain injuries - Neurobiological basis linked to dysfunction in brain reward circuitry, especially: - [[Ventral tegmental area (VTA)]] - [[Nucleus accumbens]] and [[ventral striatum]] - [[Prefrontal Cortex]], [[Amygdala]], and [[Hippocampus]] - Thought to involve dopaminergic and serotonergic [[neurotransmitter]] imbalances ## Diagnosis - Assessed clinically as a symptom of underlying mental or medical conditions - No standalone diagnosis; part of broader syndromes like [[Major Depressive Disorder|MDD]] - Differentiation from other symptoms like social anxiety important ## Treatment - Focused on underlying disorders (e.g., antidepressants, [[psychotherapy]] for [[Depression]]) - Neurofeedback and attention training may be adjuncts - Emerging treatments targeting brain reward pathways (e.g., [[ketamine]]) - Treatment can be challenging due to complexity and persistence of symptoms ## Impact - Significantly impairs quality of life, social functioning, and motivation - Can worsen prognosis of primary psychiatric or medical disorders - May contribute to relapse and chronicity in [[depression]] and other illnesses