Comments on: Those living with Anhedonia http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2007/03/06/the-living-death-of-anhedonia/ Ever the arty Autie Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:58:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Munequita Bonita http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2007/03/06/the-living-death-of-anhedonia/comment-page-1/#comment-116396 Munequita Bonita Sat, 14 Jan 2012 20:29:09 +0000 http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2007/03/06/the-living-death-of-anhedonia/#comment-116396 People call anhedonia 'depression' but it is that dead feeling that makes all the difference in the world; I would much rather have depression than anhedonia. And to dmartin yes if you would like to talk I would too. If you read this put up another post and I will check back soon. People call anhedonia ‘depression’ but it is that dead feeling that makes all the difference in the world; I would much rather have depression than anhedonia.

And to dmartin yes if you would like to talk I would too. If you read this put up another post and I will check back soon.

]]> By: Pepi http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2007/03/06/the-living-death-of-anhedonia/comment-page-1/#comment-116295 Pepi Wed, 21 Dec 2011 09:04:02 +0000 http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2007/03/06/the-living-death-of-anhedonia/#comment-116295 I emphasise with all who have commented. It is the most debilitating thing that can happen to anyone, continual flatness day in day out - not wanting to be with family or friends due to deadness inside and also it can make it even worse as you see how much you are missing on life, due to your own inablility to feel. I'ts been 14 yrs and still counting. I agree with Donna, I went through cancer several years ago and did feel 'more life' in me and went through the process very well, however on looking back this devastating mental deadess was/is much more trying and 'hung around ' throughout the process. I have been looking for cures for all this time, tried numerous things and some work for a while. I have foun the most worked through explanation could be, a malfunction of the HPA axis - as several people have cured themselves through licorice root, etc... It's funny, people that have anhedonia know exactly what you mean when you try to describe it i.e. you can't listen to music anymore ( i loved music), watch movies, read books etc as there is no enjoyment in anything, just deadness inside ... however trying to explain it to a 'normal' person, they think you're from another planet or should just snap out if it - ha if only we could! I emphasise with all who have commented. It is the most debilitating thing that can happen to anyone, continual flatness day in day out – not wanting to be with family or friends due to deadness inside and also it can make it even worse as you see how much you are missing on life, due to your own inablility to feel. I’ts been 14 yrs and still counting. I agree with Donna, I went through cancer several years ago and did feel ‘more life’ in me and went through the process very well, however on looking back this devastating mental deadess was/is much more trying and ‘hung around ‘ throughout the process. I have been looking for cures for all this time, tried numerous things and some work for a while. I have foun the most worked through explanation could be, a malfunction of the HPA axis – as several people have cured themselves through licorice root, etc… It’s funny, people that have anhedonia know exactly what you mean when you try to describe it i.e. you can’t listen to music anymore ( i loved music), watch movies, read books etc as there is no enjoyment in anything, just deadness inside … however trying to explain it to a ‘normal’ person, they think you’re from another planet or should just snap out if it – ha if only we could!

]]> By: Munequita http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2007/03/06/the-living-death-of-anhedonia/comment-page-1/#comment-116287 Munequita Tue, 20 Dec 2011 00:53:57 +0000 http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2007/03/06/the-living-death-of-anhedonia/#comment-116287 I know exactly what you mean Billy. You said it all. I know exactly what you mean Billy. You said it all.

]]> By: billy http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2007/03/06/the-living-death-of-anhedonia/comment-page-1/#comment-114758 billy Sun, 30 Oct 2011 17:34:16 +0000 http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2007/03/06/the-living-death-of-anhedonia/#comment-114758 i am 33 years old and have suffered from anhedonia my entire life basically...if it wasnt for exercise and certain drugs i would have lost my mind years ago..in fact, i have wasted so much of my life feeling this way that i am pretty far gone...the only thging that keeps me going is not wanting to see my family hurt and i dont have the energy or dedication to commit suicide..other than that i basically just force myself to live every day, no rhyme or reason to my life at all..i cant sustain relationships at all with anhedonia, not even friendships so i fail to see what the future holds, if anything.. anhedonia is an affliction that goes beyond describing.. i am 33 years old and have suffered from anhedonia my entire life basically…if it wasnt for exercise and certain drugs i would have lost my mind years ago..in fact, i have wasted so much of my life feeling this way that i am pretty far gone…the only thging that keeps me going is not wanting to see my family hurt and i dont have the energy or dedication to commit suicide..other than that i basically just force myself to live every day, no rhyme or reason to my life at all..i cant sustain relationships at all with anhedonia, not even friendships so i fail to see what the future holds, if anything..

anhedonia is an affliction that goes beyond describing..

]]> By: Munequita http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2007/03/06/the-living-death-of-anhedonia/comment-page-1/#comment-109561 Munequita Thu, 15 Sep 2011 01:38:23 +0000 http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2007/03/06/the-living-death-of-anhedonia/#comment-109561 And by the way that's a well-written article up there. It will help others understand, those people who only have "the inability to experience pleasure" definition to go on. I hope you can write some more. Those suffering from this desperately need someone to represent them and bring awareness to this illness, probably the worst illness in the world. And by the way that’s a well-written article up there. It will help others understand, those people who only have “the inability to experience pleasure” definition to go on. I hope you can write some more. Those suffering from this desperately need someone to represent them and bring awareness to this illness, probably the worst illness in the world.

]]> By: Munequita http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2007/03/06/the-living-death-of-anhedonia/comment-page-1/#comment-109560 Munequita Thu, 15 Sep 2011 01:35:18 +0000 http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2007/03/06/the-living-death-of-anhedonia/#comment-109560 Anhedonia is the result of extreme stress and biological and genetic weaknesses in most cases. Others get it from those poisonus pharmaceutical drugs or other types of drugs. And there is no answer, other than fixing the physical/chemical problem at it's root. There's an old saying, if the body is broke, work on mind. If the mind is broke, work on the body. Anhedonia is the result of extreme stress and biological and genetic weaknesses in most cases. Others get it from those poisonus pharmaceutical drugs or other types of drugs. And there is no answer, other than fixing the physical/chemical problem at it’s root. There’s an old saying, if the body is broke, work on mind. If the mind is broke, work on the body.

]]> By: donna http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2007/03/06/the-living-death-of-anhedonia/comment-page-1/#comment-109395 donna Tue, 13 Sep 2011 04:48:17 +0000 http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2007/03/06/the-living-death-of-anhedonia/#comment-109395 perhaps thats the answer... I'm dealing with cancer and it causes me to find joy in every moment... maybe Anhedonia is sometimes the result of a mind and body that finds no survival related challenge on a day to day basis, that it is missing our old prehistory days of wooly mammoths and saber tooth tigers... maybe extreme sports might work! perhaps thats the answer… I’m dealing with cancer and it causes me to find joy in every moment… maybe Anhedonia is sometimes the result of a mind and body that finds no survival related challenge on a day to day basis, that it is missing our old prehistory days of wooly mammoths and saber tooth tigers… maybe extreme sports might work!

]]> By: Munequita http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2007/03/06/the-living-death-of-anhedonia/comment-page-1/#comment-109388 Munequita Tue, 13 Sep 2011 02:41:45 +0000 http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2007/03/06/the-living-death-of-anhedonia/#comment-109388 Anhedonia is hell. It's like being halfway dead but still being forced to do all the work of livig life, with none of the rewards. Only torture could be worse than this. Someone up there said death would be better than Anhedonia and I agree. The only thing that keeps up alive is that maybe we might get out of it. I would trade this for cancer in a second. Anhedonia is hell. It’s like being halfway dead but still being forced to do all the work of livig life, with none of the rewards. Only torture could be worse than this. Someone up there said death would be better than Anhedonia and I agree. The only thing that keeps up alive is that maybe we might get out of it. I would trade this for cancer in a second.

]]> By: Sara http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2007/03/06/the-living-death-of-anhedonia/comment-page-1/#comment-108804 Sara Wed, 07 Sep 2011 02:59:58 +0000 http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2007/03/06/the-living-death-of-anhedonia/#comment-108804 Hi, I'm rather confused. I'm a teenager, and I know teenagers are just pretty screwed up in general due to brain development and hormones and all that other wonderful stuff. However, if you could stick with me, I think I may have a legitimate problem. Over the past several years, I have sunk into (what I think is) depression. I don't really want to go into the details or theories I have about how or why I got depressed, because that would take a lot of room. Basically though, my general mood/state progressed like this- 1) anxiety (there was just this constant feeling like I had to constantly keep my mind busy to take it off something, except there was nothing to keep my mind off of, as far as I know) 2)depression (grades dropped, stopped talking to friends as much, became withdrawn, felt sad/in pain/hopeless fairly consistently, again no logical/solid explanation) 3) Now, I think I might be developing anhedonia. Overall, I don't feel as bad as I did before. I'm not in pain/feeling hopeless as often as I was before, which is good (I think?), but I'm also not really happy/hopeful either. Just sort of existing, spending my classes watching the clock, talking to my friends because I feel obligated too. It's not I feel like a robot, it's just like my emotions are fading away. They take longer to register, and go away faster. They're sort of like listening to a song through a concrete wall, for now they're still there, but their a bit muffled. By itself, it isn't that bad. The problem is when I regain the same senses a normal person has, the pain and hopelessness (again, no good reason behind, probably still from depression) comes back, and I come to the realization that my emotion is leaving me. There are some rather safe things things I've found I can do that help me feel a bit more alive (running in thunder storms, going rock-climbing, or going on a rollercoaster, basically anything that pumps me full of adrenaline) but the more I use them, the less effective they become. Any idea if/how I can turn this around? I am in general, motivated by passion. I have no clue wtf I'd do without it. Part of me thinks that I could me doing this to myself, instead of it being purely biological. I've always been able to supress my emotions effectively. And I've always been loathe to feeling vulnerable. Is it possible for people to supress their whole range of emotions? Hi, I’m rather confused. I’m a teenager, and I know teenagers are just pretty screwed up in general due to brain development and hormones and all that other wonderful stuff. However, if you could stick with me, I think I may have a legitimate problem. Over the past several years, I have sunk into (what I think is) depression. I don’t really want to go into the details or theories I have about how or why I got depressed, because that would take a lot of room. Basically though, my general mood/state progressed like this- 1) anxiety (there was just this constant feeling like I had to constantly keep my mind busy to take it off something, except there was nothing to keep my mind off of, as far as I know) 2)depression (grades dropped, stopped talking to friends as much, became withdrawn, felt sad/in pain/hopeless fairly consistently, again no logical/solid explanation) 3) Now, I think I might be developing anhedonia. Overall, I don’t feel as bad as I did before. I’m not in pain/feeling hopeless as often as I was before, which is good (I think?), but I’m also not really happy/hopeful either. Just sort of existing, spending my classes watching the clock, talking to my friends because I feel obligated too. It’s not I feel like a robot, it’s just like my emotions are fading away. They take longer to register, and go away faster. They’re sort of like listening to a song through a concrete wall, for now they’re still there, but their a bit muffled. By itself, it isn’t that bad. The problem is when I regain the same senses a normal person has, the pain and hopelessness (again, no good reason behind, probably still from depression) comes back, and I come to the realization that my emotion is leaving me. There are some rather safe things things I’ve found I can do that help me feel a bit more alive (running in thunder storms, going rock-climbing, or going on a rollercoaster, basically anything that pumps me full of adrenaline) but the more I use them, the less effective they become. Any idea if/how I can turn this around? I am in general, motivated by passion. I have no clue wtf I’d do without it.
Part of me thinks that I could me doing this to myself, instead of it being purely biological. I’ve always been able to supress my emotions effectively. And I’ve always been loathe to feeling vulnerable. Is it possible for people to supress their whole range of emotions?

]]> By: dmartin http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2007/03/06/the-living-death-of-anhedonia/comment-page-1/#comment-106775 dmartin Mon, 15 Aug 2011 16:03:46 +0000 http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2007/03/06/the-living-death-of-anhedonia/#comment-106775 Hey Walter, I know what you mean saying death is "inevitable". Just today I was able to give my struggle a name: anhedonia. Seems like I have experienced it for the last 20 years, but the last 2 have been the worst. My logical brain has decided to fight it even though most days the fight isn't there. I have two little girls and know I won't put them through their father's suicide. Believe it or not that conscious decision has intensified a feeling of being trapped. If you read this and want to correspond let me know. Hey Walter,
I know what you mean saying death is “inevitable”. Just today I was able to give my struggle a name: anhedonia. Seems like I have experienced it for the last 20 years, but the last 2 have been the worst. My logical brain has decided to fight it even though most days the fight isn’t there. I have two little girls and know I won’t put them through their father’s suicide. Believe it or not that conscious decision has intensified a feeling of being trapped. If you read this and want to correspond let me know.

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