![]() Researchers theorize that anhedonia may result from the breakdown in the brain’s reward system, involving the neurotransmitter dopamine. While anhedonia can be a feature of such mood changes, they are not mutually inclusive. Disturbing mood changes may occur resultant to stressful life events and they are not uncommon during times of physical illness. Mood disturbances are commonly observed in many psychiatric disorders. People affected with schizophrenia often describe themselves as feeling emotionally empty. In addition, findings suggest the emptiness reflects pathologically low positive affect and significant psychiatric distress. Results indicate that emptiness is negligibly related to boredom, is closely related to feeling hopeless, pathologically lonely, and isolated, and is a robust predictor of depression and suicidal ideation (but not anxiety or suicide attempts).įindings are consistent with DSM-IV revisions regarding the 7th criterion for Borderline Personality Disorder. For example, the 7th DSM-IV criterion for Borderline Personality Disorder: “chronic feelings of emptiness.” “The state of anhedonia, if I may coin a new word to pair off with analgesia,” he writes, “has been very little studied, but it exists."Īnhedonia can be a characteristic of mental disorders including mood disorders, schizoaffective disorder, borderline personality disorder, schizoid personality disorder and schizophrenia. Professor Ribot proposed the name anhedonia to designate this condition. Sometimes it is mere passive joylessness and dreariness, discouragement, dejection, lack of taste and zest and spring. One can distinguish many kinds of pathological depression. While earlier definitions of anhedonia emphasized pleasurable experience, more recent models have highlighted the need to consider different aspects of enjoyable behavior, such as motivation or desire to engage in activities (motivational anhedonia), as compared to the level of enjoyment of the activity itself (“consummatory anhedonia”).Īccording to William Jamesthe term was coined by Théodule-Armand Ribot. exercise, hobbies, music, sexual activities or social interactions. Anhedonia is defined as the inability to experience pleasure from activities usually found enjoyable, e.g.
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