Pleasure-seeking tendencies create the fundamental drive in our minds to set goals, accomplish tasks, and be motivated to do things. The complete (or at least partial) disruption of this reward-system in the brain produces long-lasting behavioral abnormalities that borderline with several mental health conditions – depression and schizophrenia primarily.
Thus, it is extremely critical that this condition is evaluated and diagnosed correctly with time in hand. In the majority of cases, people with anhedonia respond positively to the medication and psychotherapy course.
Bottom line is the sooner the depressive/schizophrenia tendencies are dealt with, the faster will be the recovery from anhedonia. People who fall in the risk pool for these should be on a constant check on whether they are developing anhedonic tendencies. The moment they feel that the “emotional bluntness” is dictating their behavior they should immediately go for a complete psychiatric check-up.
There are no exact preventive measures for this condition. However, these following steps can help one reduce the probability of onset of depressive tendencies that could eventually grow into anhedonia:
- De-stress yourself regularly.
- Cut down the consumption of inflammatory foods such as sugar and refined foods
- Exercise
- Get proper sleep every night
- Have a long-term fitness program and maintain a healthy weight
- Indulge in altruistic and volunteering activities.
However, if one still feels the symptoms of anhedonia overpowering in spite of following these measures, he/she shouldn’t delay getting evaluated by a psychiatrist.