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Anhedonia

Jd
  • Hi. Has anyone ever been diagnosed with anhedonia before ? Am awaiting a phone consultation with a mental health doctor as lately I’ve struggled to get enthusiastic about anything and feel the worlds out to get me. Ironically my diagnosis of ASD isn’t bothering me but would say people’s lack of accepting my diagnosis bothers me. On top of apparently being the worlds dogs body and people only speaking to me when they need/want something and making decisions which affects me but never actually get asked my opinion on said decision, I kinda feel nobody respects me and  I’m just expected to do what everyone else wants me to do. Which adds to the feeling of isolation. I would say I am ok but never sure these days. Just constantly wanna be left alone as interaction causes grief. 

  • I have felt anhedonia before. I wouldn't have been given a diagnosis of it as it was a short term 'lack of feeling'/numbness.

    Despite the fact that we likely differ, maybe sharing one or two things I've felt may help a bit, so I'll continue:

    When I found out about the word anhedonia was when I'd broken up from a relationship of 6 years. I'd broken up. I'd initiated it. Part of the reason was that the relationship was starting to become too demanding. I was meant to (my partner had decreed) get a 'better' job. She wanted an answer on whether we would have children together, and by that point I'd decided that the world was essentially too kind of wrong to risk myself having a child who might go through what I have.

    When I left that relationship, I had a period of perhaps a week when everything felt numb. It wasn't even that I felt depressed. I just didn't feel much at all.

    However, I feel and understand that depression and anhedonia are pretty closely related? The complete lack of feeling. The feeling like I'm in a bubble wherein nothing much matters has typically come during depression for me. It's as though the anhedonia is preventing me from getting too sucked in or too over-pressured by the depression.

    In terms of the "people only speaking to me when they need/want something and making decisions which affects me but never actually get asked my opinion on said decision". I can sympathise/empathise with this. It happens to me. It can be frustrating and a bit isolating as you say. When I'm feeling quite 'spiritually together' [I use spiritually in a very loose term here], I tend to see this side of things as not such a bad thing and as (often) more of a good thing.

    To help others even if I may not feel gratitude being given in return can be viewed as a very pure act of giving. There is something of a 'higher purpose' to be said for those of us that give in small ways to others without necessarily getting things in return.

    I know some of us may feel that we shouldn't be used or exploited so there is a sense of finding the right balance. To be as giving as we feel appropriate but not to our clear detriment.

    I doubt I've answered much here but I thought I'd share a couple of thoughts I've had from reading your post.

  • Never diagnosed with anhedonia but having read your post I’ve just self diagnosed