WEBVTT - How Does Anhedonia Work?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of iHeart Radio, Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff Lauren Vogelbaum here. Even as the general public

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<v Speaker 1>has gained a better understanding of mental health issues like

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<v Speaker 1>depression and anxiety over recent years, some psychological symptoms remain

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<v Speaker 1>a mystery to many. A case in point, and hydonia

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<v Speaker 1>and haydonia refers to the absence of good feelings that

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<v Speaker 1>someone might expect from things and activities that they once enjoyed,

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<v Speaker 1>like a friendship, food, sex, or music. For the article,

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<v Speaker 1>this episode is based on How Stuff Works. Spoke via

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<v Speaker 1>email with Los Angeles based psychotherapist Alyssa Mass m f T.

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<v Speaker 1>She said, and hedonia is the lack of experiencing joy

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<v Speaker 1>or pleasure. It's typically thought of as a symptom of

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<v Speaker 1>depression or dysthymia, though it can also exist separately from either.

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<v Speaker 1>Dysthymia is a mild but persistent, long term type of

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<v Speaker 1>depressive disorder. In addition to these mental health issues, antedonia

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<v Speaker 1>can accompany others like schizophrenia and orexia nervosa and substance

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<v Speaker 1>misuse disorders. It can also signal issues like Parkinson's disease.

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<v Speaker 1>Antedonia can be both social, meaning the person no longer

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<v Speaker 1>feels joy being around people or physical meaning sensations like touch,

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<v Speaker 1>say a hug can feel empty or food can taste bland.

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<v Speaker 1>The causes of antidonia can vary, and while it's associated

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<v Speaker 1>with depression, a person doesn't necessarily have to have depression

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<v Speaker 1>to have antedonia. Experts believe antedonia may be linked to

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<v Speaker 1>changes in brain activity and an inability to produce or

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<v Speaker 1>respond to a feel good hormone called dopamine. Some research

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<v Speaker 1>that's been performed with rats indicates that antedonia may be

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<v Speaker 1>tied to an overactive prefrontal cortex, impacting the dopamine neurons

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<v Speaker 1>and interfering with the pathways the control how and why

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<v Speaker 1>we seek out and experienced desire and rewards. Other research

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<v Speaker 1>indicates that other brain areas and structures like the amygdala,

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<v Speaker 1>which processes emotion, the striatum, which is associated with the

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<v Speaker 1>reward system, and the insula, which is connected to self

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<v Speaker 1>awareness and consciousness, might also be involved. While there's no

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<v Speaker 1>single way to treat antidonia, many mental health experts often

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<v Speaker 1>lean on strategies prescribed for depression, including talk therapy and

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<v Speaker 1>medications like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or s SR eyes,

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<v Speaker 1>which is a wide class of drugs, including common brand

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<v Speaker 1>names like prozac, lexapro, and zoloft. There is, however, evidence

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<v Speaker 1>to suggest that s SR eyes aren't extremely effective at

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<v Speaker 1>treating the antidonia that can come with depression. As a

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<v Speaker 1>potential alternative, study found that ketamine quote rapidly reduced the

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<v Speaker 1>levels of antdonia in people with treatment resistant bipolar disorder,

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<v Speaker 1>but more research is needed to understand the positive and

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<v Speaker 1>negative implications of these and other medications on the issue.

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<v Speaker 1>For now, mental health experts are continuing to incorporate antdonia

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<v Speaker 1>assessment into their work with clients and working with them

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<v Speaker 1>to find coping strategies. Mass said, in cases of depression

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<v Speaker 1>long or short term, I always screen for antdonia if

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<v Speaker 1>a client screens positive for it, and then it's really

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<v Speaker 1>about looking at everything that's going on and treating the

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<v Speaker 1>depression as a whole until there's relief from that. It's

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<v Speaker 1>impossible to tell if the antidonia is part of the

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<v Speaker 1>depression or something that exists on its own. If someone's

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<v Speaker 1>case history tells me they've never had antidonia until the

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<v Speaker 1>depression hit, in that case, it's likely more treatable than

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<v Speaker 1>if it had always existed and is more of a baseline.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's episode is based on the article and hadonia when

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<v Speaker 1>Nothing Feels Good Anymore on how stuff works dot Com.

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<v Speaker 1>Written by Michelle Konstantinovski. Brain Stuff is production of I

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<v Speaker 1>Heart Radio in partnership with how Stuffworks dot Com and

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<v Speaker 1>is produced by Tyler Klang. For more podcasts from my

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<v Speaker 1>heart Radio, visit the heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or

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<v Speaker 1>wherever you listen to your favorite shows.