In plain words
Anhedonia is a loss of pleasure or interest. Things you used to enjoy, such as food, music, a friend's visit, or a shower, may feel flat or empty. It is a core symptom of depression, though other conditions can cause it too. After birth it is easy to mistake it for exhaustion or being busy. It is worth noticing if it lasts most of the day, nearly every day, for two weeks or more. You are not failing when this happens. A provider or can assess it. If you have thoughts of harming yourself, call or text now.
The deeper version
Anhedonia, the reduced capacity to experience pleasure or reduced interest in previously rewarding activities, is one of two core symptoms of major depressive disorder in DSM-5. Diagnosis follows DSM-5 criteria for a major depressive episode: depressed mood or anhedonia most of the day, nearly every day, for at least two weeks, plus a total of five of nine symptoms with functional impairment. Anhedonia is linked to reward-circuit function, including mesolimbic dopamine signaling, and is studied as a distinct phenotype in some research. Perinatal anhedonia overlaps with fatigue and sleep loss, which complicate its assessment. The controversy concerns whether anhedonia marks a subtype with different treatment needs, and how to separate it from exhaustion. ACOG Committee Opinion 757 (2018) recommends screening for .
Where it comes up
- Postpartum depressionPostpartum: Mind
- Depression during pregnancyPregnancy: Mind and Life
- Grieving while postpartumPostpartum: Mind
- Touched outPostpartum: Mind
What mothers here say about anhedonia
No one has posted under this term yet.
Sources
- American Psychiatric Association — DSM-5, major depressive episode criteria (2013)
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists — Committee Opinion 757: Screening for Perinatal Depression (2018)