Depression

Within the purview of psychology, anhedonia refers to a particular disorder whereby the patient becomes unable to feel any pleasure or experience any joy from normal day-to-day stimuli. The patients suffering from anhedonia cease to feel happy in normal social interaction, eating, sexual activities and even exercise. The term “Anhedonia” is a Greek word that originates from the original term in Greek meaning “inability to experience joy”.

Anhedonia is a commonly documented symptom of mood and anxiety disorder and the associated depression. Both the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition (DSM IV) hold a concurrent view in this context. Other than anhedonia the other commonly held symptom of mood and anxiety disorder is an acutely depressed mood. Symptoms of anhedonia are also commonly found in patients suffering from schizophrenia and individuals having a schizoid personality or schizoaffective disorder and many other mental disorders.

The critical psychological disorder of Anhedonia which causes acute anxiety and depression was for the first time identified during the 19^th century. However, anhedonia continued to remain rather unacknowledged and under-studied as late as the 1980s. This was so because during this time, psychologists were busy focusing on other obvious symptoms of anxiety and depression including poor concentration, depressed mood, tiredness, insomnia and loss of appetite along with suicidal thoughts as well.

Symptoms of Anhedonia

Individuals suffering from anhedonia are observed to develop a mood that is exceptionally flat and characterizes anxiety. Anhedonia makes people lose the ability to properly feel anything or react to any situation. Anhedonia features a non-variant mood syndrome which hinders patients from moving ahead with anything. A person suffering from this condition spends a good portion of his or her life in constant procrastination, unable to make decisions in everyday situations. Anhedonia makes the process of moving ahead with life rather difficult.

To give a sound idea of the various symptoms of anhedonia, apt examples would work best.

• A mother who suffers from anhedonia tends to find no pleasure in playing with her baby.
• A footballer if suffering from anhedonia and anxiety disorder doesn’t feel even the least excited about scoring a goal.
• A teenager suffering from anhedonia, anxiety and depression is left untouched even when he/she manages to pass the driving test.
• As far as relationships are concerned, Anehdonia is an anxiety disorder that puts a lot of strain on them. Moreover, Anhedonia also leads to a lessening of the sex drive which creates further gaps in a marital relationship.

Anhedonia anxiety and depression

Anxiety and depression are common symptoms that affect one in every five grown-up individuals at one point in their lives. The disease of anhedonia along with schizophrenia can often worsen the situation to such an extent that the patient under anxiety and depression may even try suicide. Anxiety and depression are often triggered by a particularly sad event like a physical injury or the loss of a loved one or even due to chemical imbalances in the brain.

But that doesn’t mean that everyone who suffers from anxiety and depression will have anhedonia. Anhedonia is rather rare in cases of mild depression. But for cases of serious anxiety disorder and depression, anhedonia may surface as a common symptom.

Once Anhedonia surfaces as an anxiety disorder, it may continue to persist even when the anxiety and depression cease. But more often than not anhedonia may also go away as well. As far as the treatment of anhedonia and the symptoms of anxiety and depression are concerned they are often treated with antidepressant medicines only to heal partially.

Treating Anhedonia

Anhedonia causes a kind of anxiety and depression that affects an individual’s daily life significantly and he ceases to feel pleasure in any events of daily life. In such circumstances treating the anxiety disorder as soon as possible becomes all the more necessary to restore a normal and happy life for the patient.

Some of the effective and natural elements that help ease the severity of anhedonia and thereby do away with the condition itself are:

• Yoga is an immensely effective treatment for anhedonia
• Regular physical activity.
• Deep and sound sleep for an extended period
• In the case of sex anhedonia, in particular, the consumption of a few special herbs can be a potent solution.
• The Mind-Power-Rx and the SAM-e supplement can help lift spirits and elevate depressed moods
• There are certain homoeopathic treatments as well that effectively deal with Anhedonia.

To treat conditions of anhedonia effectively, physicians suggest a wholesome approach to sound health which includes yoga, physical exercise, a healthy diet, keeping a sound goal and aim in life, maintaining closer ties with friends and family, travelling on regular intervals, etc. All of these together can help deal with anhedonia in a more focused manner.

Experiencing depression is an immensely frustrating process. It can be extremely incapacitating and creates an immensely difficult living environment around the victim. Irrespective of the nature of the symptoms when a person suffers from depression, it becomes very hard to pull oneself out of the big dark hole that characterizes utter despair.  One of the most effective ways of dealing with acute depression is through physical exercise.

Simultaneous research on exercise and depression and the effect of exercise on the latter dates back as much as 200 years. Only recently did scientists come up with the fact that exercise has a lot of beneficial advantages on the overall mood in both clinically depressed as well as healthy individuals.

Most of the research work and studies carried out in this context enhance the fact that depression and exercise had both physiological and psychological counteractions for the participants who took part in the examinations. More than 90% of the participants who took part in the examination did display a positive influence of exercise in reducing the level of depression. The results are quick to notice.

Further study on hospitalized individuals suffering from depression revealed that when the individual was put on an exercise regimen, it showed significant amounts of reduction in the levels of depression and that too for an extended period. Participants suffering from depression who took part in special programs of aerobic exercise were detected with improved relief symptoms. On the other hand, other patients suffering from depression who took part in simple occupational therapies did not report any significant improvements in their condition.

In fact, doctors are of the view that patients suffering from depression, if asked to go for 8 weeks of continuous jogging, walking or other forms of recreational therapy, would show rapid improvement in comparison to others. The effects will be evident all the more if the effects in this case are compared to another group of patients suffering from depression who are not initiated on such an exercise regimen.

Depression is a very common mental situation that most of us have either experienced at one point in time or heard of from a close friend or associate. Though therapy and medication are some of the common ways of treating depression, exercise is an immensely effective tool that not only ensures a speedy relief but also ascertains a healthy lifestyle thereafter. Numerous studies conducted in this context have revealed the same result repetitively, that exercise can be implemented in an efficient way to fight moderate to severe levels of depression.

Though there is no evidence of the fact as to which particular kind of exercise has a deeper impact and effect on depression, nonetheless most physicians are of the view that aerobic activities and running are two of the most effective physical exercises that help reduce depression. Walking also has positive effects on reducing depression.

Effects of exercise on depression

Discussed next are various ways in which different kinds of exercise including aerobics and walking exercise can help reduce depression thereby showing the depressed individual the way to a healthy lifestyle once again.

• Physical fitness exercise helps build on the sense of command and self-confidence. This comes in real handy for individuals suffering from depression as it brings back the feeling of control over one’s own life.
• Physical exercise helps reduce depression and boost overall energy levels.
• Physical exercise and walking exercise also play an instrumental role in building the self-esteem of the individual suffering from chronic depression.
• One of the most significant facts about physical exercise is that it provides a very solid distraction from the worries and anxieties common in depression.
• Physical exercise and walking exercise help improve one’s body and health ensuring a healthy existence. This can also help lift one’s spirits to a large extent which diminishes the feelings of depression.
• Physical exercise also does away with all pent-up stress and stored frustration which removes the mental pressure and dismisses all such situations that are potentially enough to lead to depression.
• Finally, physical exercise rather than just any kind of exercise helps you sleep better. Sleeping is one of the most significant problems in depression where individuals complain of insomnia and other problems in sleeping. In such situations, exercise can come in real handy.

Effective exercise workouts to treat Depression

To manage depression, no exercise can be termed as either right or wrong. The high-intensity physical exercise like aerobics and jogging provides a two-step outcome. One is that it engages the mind and body preventing it from stagnating into the pool of depression. The other is it triggers the release of particular hormones that can help the depressed individual feel rather good. On the other hand, there is also lower-intensity physical exercise like Pilates and yoga which initiate relaxation and help connect the body with the soul ensuring a healthy outcome.

In present times, there is not a single person, who is not afflicted with one or the other problem of the mind. Feeling of sadness is one of the most common problems people encounter. The associated feelings that come with sadness are misery, grief, melancholy and sorrow. The basic description of sadness can be mentioned as a mood or state of mind whereby a person’s mood is dipped and they feel ‘blue’. Consistent bouts of sadness may incorporate situations whereby the low feeling lasts longer and becomes more and more intense as time flies. This condition of sadness further engenders the incapacity of a person to deal with daily chores and situations. The person becomes sensitive to the incidents around them.

Sadness is a condition that may affect anyone, as it is very much a part of our everyday lives. It is at times considered a normal part of everyday life. Usually, people do not want to feel sad and repress the feeling, although this is not good for their well-being. The term ‘sadness’ is synonymously used with the term ‘depression’, but they are different. Sadness is used to denote an emotional state of the human mind, whereas depression is more like a disorder or illness. Sadness is also one of the causes of feeling depression.

Symptoms of Sadness

One of the symptoms of sadness is the feeling that the whole world is hostile to you; it is more like a sense of hurt and blackness that seems endless, out of which there is no means of escape. There is practically nothing to look forward to or brighten the mood of the affected. A lot of people are also likely to exhibit reduced energy levels in sadness with others attempting to curb it, but this feeling of countering emotions like sadness is not good either. Some people even succumb to tears. There are also mixed feelings of a sense of void, pessimism, hopelessness, worthlessness, anxiety and others that intensify sadness. Sadness makes them lose interest in life and any excitement-generating activities, It may even lead to loss of appetite, restlessness or irritability.

All-encompassing sadness may lead to depression, especially if the person affected by it does not find an alternative to venting their emotion. Physiological symptoms include chronic pains, gastrointestinal problems, headaches etc. The person experiencing sadness may even contemplate suicide in extreme situations.

Causes of Sadness

Sadness can result from various factors, one of the commonest of which is the feeling of loss. This is especially true if sadness is related to the loss of a loved one. This will make the person experience sadness. The feeling is more so if they shared a close tie with the departed, expired or divorced individual. People experience sadness when they have lost an important person or when they have disappointed them. A person also goes through a phase of sadness after a relationship fails or when they are going through disappointment or trauma with a relationship not working.

Loss of a home or employment also causes sadness especially when they are required to shift jobs based on firing. The feeling of unworthiness or displacement also makes the person go through sadness as will the loss of a home or moving away to some other place. These are some of the important causes resulting in sadness or loss. The other major reason is loneliness, or failure to live up to expectations. Loss, failure and sadness are also the result of prolonged or terminal illnesses, undeniable changes in lifestyle and the loss of a dream.

Possible Solutions to Sadness

There are various approaches to dealing with sadness and it is best if the solutions are administered early since sadness is a time-consuming process when it comes to healing the condition. The duration may last from several months up to a year or even more. The person affected by sadness should be helped to cope with the condition as sadness cannot be otherwise cured. People often resort to exercising during sadness as physical workouts release certain hormones in the brain leading to a better mood.

Company of friends and family members during sadness and sharing your worries and reasons to feel low help release their burden. You can even join a group or community support program to deal with the feeling of sadness as it helps enhance interaction, leading to a distraction of your emotions. This therapy to curb sadness helps deal with these emotions.

Optimism is one of the best ways to deal with sadness is to tap into your creativity like practising writing, singing, dancing or drawing to creatively express your sadness.

People also seek a walk in the sun for a few moments to relieve the mind. The sunlight is helpful for the body during sadness. Physically also, it works on the mind by brightening the mood, just as darkness intensifies sadness. If these don’t work, it is best to seek medical support.

Depression is a common syndrome seen today in most people. Reasons can vary from professional to personal i.e. a person might suffer from depression due to matters concerning work or family issues. Sometimes a death or a breakup also brings a huge depression in a person’s life. A depressed person cannot enjoy better things in life and he or she feels very sad and out of place in any events or happenings.

These days more and more people are falling prey to depression, and young children are not an exception to this. Today people have to be on their nerves all the time and this has a toll on their health. Workplace depression is very common to all the people who work in corporate houses. They are constantly under depression and stress and both of these are interrelated to each other.

It is imperative to treat depression at the initial stage so that it does not become a cause of serious issues affecting your health at a later stage. Here are some proven ways to get rid of depression.

You need to loosen up during the depression and this can be done by breathing heavily in and out so that oxygen is transported inside your body. The next thing you can do while feeling low is perform yoga. Yoga is always helpful during depression and you will feel much better after you do it.

If you want to avoid depression then you should follow a healthy diet which will make you internally strong so that you will be able to fight depression. A good diet should be one without caffeine, alcohol and stuff made of white flour. These things always trigger depression and stress at the same time increase its levels.

The next thing you should do is vent out so that you do not keep it inside yourself and later it takes the form of extreme depression. You can tell your friends or near ones the reason why you are low and talk to him or her and you will feel much better.

If you follow these methods along with being positive, you will never have any reason to worry. Depression will never bother you if you make sure that you live with the right attitude i.e. a positive attitude and patience.

Many times in our life we feel low and worn out. Sadness shows on our faces and even reflects in the work that we do and our behavior. If this low feeling is continuously making you unable to do anything, the problem that you are suffering from is Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD. There was a time when people used to relate sadness to the seasons and used to believe that the mood changes with the seasons. Sadness is a common thing that we get to see and there is hardly any person who has not experienced sadness in his life. There are a lot of ways that you can take to get rid of your sadness. Here are some of the tips that you can make use of.

• The first thing to be done is to take a walk in the morning. The fresh air has a positive effect on your body and this is why you can try sitting by the window or taking a stroll in the wee hours of the morning.

• Do not consume more caffeine or alcohol.  Some people think that consuming coffee or other caffeine-rich substances will get them rid of the anxiety or sadness they are experiencing. These things can offer temporary relief but there are side effects of these things that are much more than the benefits. Alcohol is considered to be a depressant and if you have depression already, alcohol can even increase it. You should thus remain away from such substances.

• Exercising regularly is also one of the ways to stay away from sadness. When you are sad, you should try on things that eat up your time and divert your thoughts. If you do not feel like exercising and need something good, you can take your lunch outside and enjoy something you love eating. The morning light and air are good for you but if you can’t go out in the morning, the afternoons can be turned good.

• While you are eating out, taking foods rich in Tryptophan, which is an amino acid, will be a good choice. When you are sad, there is a lack of serotonin in your body and this amino acid helps in its production. Some of the foods that you can take are milk, turkey and egg white.

• When you have tried all the methods to relieve yourself from sadness and all the attempts fail, you need to know that it is time you should seek professional help.

Anhedonia is a state in which person is not able to express or feel joy even in midst of pleasurable experiences. While it is generally found in people suffering from depression but is not always a part of it. One out of every five people is affected by depression which is triggered by brain imbalance, physical illness and sad events. Antidepressant medicines can deal with this problem only partially.

Depression is also a state of intense sadness but in this, the individual does feel brief joyful moments in certain circumstances, unlike Anhedonia where even the slightest feeling of joy is not felt by the person. Besides the loss of joy, there are other symptoms too. Flat moods, social withdrawal, loss of hunger along interest in routine activities are also common problems faced by the person.

The cause of Anhedonia is still unknown in many cases. Patients with schizophrenia, suffer from this problem due to chemical imbalance causing disorder. In many cases, this problem is aggravated by the loss of loved ones, loads of stress and life-altering events. Anhedonia also places strain on relationships and is generally accompanied by losing the sex drive.

Some of the commonly used methods for treating Anhedonia are psychotherapy, antidepressants, and Milieu therapy. Patients suffering from this problem have also benefited from holistic health plans of physical activity, yoga, restorative and deep sleep and goal setting. Such exercises and approaches help in alleviating stressful events and yoga also helps in raising Serotonin levels of the brain which is good for fighting depression.

You need to assure the patients suffering from Anhedonia that they are not alone. Many people suffer from problems of loss of interest and joy but it is not a permanent state. Regarding medical interventions, it is advisable to investigate the side effects of drugs that are used for treating Anhedonia while seeking counseling. While antidepressants can assist in getting out of this problem but have side effects that include insomnia, anxiety, nausea and vision problems. So make sure that you get medications for these problems too.

Seek a healthy lifestyle that includes the elimination of sugary and processed foods, engaging in spiritual activities, exercises, and medication that are mentally stimulating and positive for you. Whatever treatment you choose, it is necessary to strive for well-being. No matter how difficult it is to overcome Anhedonia, motivation and a healthy lifestyle a key to getting over the dullness created by it.