What causes anhedonia? How can it be cured?

[Vision]

Has anyone here dealt with anhedonia before and cured it? 

[Michael569]

Usually, anhedonia is a side symptom of depression (or a similar condition) . I think it can be cured if the depression can be cured. 

That inability to experience pleasure is basically how most people experience depression. For all we know it may even be a side effect of the medication used for depression in some people. 

 

[puporing]

What @Michael569 said, also other health problems can contribute to that as well. It's more like a symptom of something else to investigate.

[Vision]

18 hours ago, Michael569 said:

Usually, anhedonia is a side symptom of depression (or a similar condition) . I think it can be cured if the depression can be cured. 

That inability to experience pleasure is basically how most people experience depression. For all we know it may even be a side effect of the medication used for depression in some people. 

 

@Michael569 How can the depression be cured? What things can be tried? 

9 hours ago, puporing said:

What @Michael569 said, also other health problems can contribute to that as well. It's more like a symptom of something else to investigate.

What do you think I can try?

[puporing]

59 minutes ago, Vision said:

@Michael569 How can the depression be cured? What things can be tried? 

What do you think I can try?

Talk therapy, self-therapy/research. What do you feel is the source of it? Look deeper into that.. basically, the willingness and courage to face whatever comes up. Anhedonia is sort of a numbing of what is underneath the surface..

Edited June 27, 2022 by puporing

[Vision]

5 hours ago, puporing said:

Talk therapy, self-therapy/research. What do you feel is the source of it? Look deeper into that.. basically, the willingness and courage to face whatever comes up. Anhedonia is sort of a numbing of what is underneath the surface..

What is talk therapy? What is self-therapy?

I don’t know what the source of it is. I think it has to do with my gut issues. I don’t know what else it could be. It feels like an illness that has nothing to do with me, like catching a cold.

@Michael569 Can heavy metal toxicity or mold toxicity contribute to anhedonia?

Edited June 27, 2022 by Vision

[Michael569]

7 hours ago, Vision said:

How can the depression be cured? What things can be tried? 

It really depends on where this is coming from. 

But through our chat before and through some posts & tests I've seen it is possible that in your case this is coming from the gut, at least a portion of it. I think this is where I would start. 

31 minutes ago, Vision said:

Can heavy metal toxicity or mold toxicity contribute to anhedonia?

it certainly can. Mould can, in some people exacerbate things like asthma, chest tightness and allergic response, . I haven't seen any data on mould-related depressive disorder but I think with these things, anything is possible and individual genetic predispositions, immune tolerance and sensitisation may impact how people respond and why some seem to get irritated by it and others don't. 

But systemic toxicity would not be my first go-to unless I have exhausted al other areas with a client without any response.

Still, if you believe this can be a contributor and you can make a case for it by being able to trace your major sources, it could be worth exploring and acting on. 

[Vision]

12 hours ago, Michael569 said:

It really depends on where this is coming from. 

But through our chat before and through some posts & tests I've seen it is possible that in your case this is coming from the gut, at least a portion of it. I think this is where I would start. 

@Michael569 I really don’t know what else to do when it comes to my gut. I’ve treated SIBO and have been taking probiotics for the past month with no improvement. 

 

What more things can I try when it comes to my gut? Are there any probiotics or supplements I should try?

 

How can I trace my major sources? 

[puporing]

Hmm.. based on that I'll just point out that there is often a link between gut health and mental health (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7510518/). 

[Vision]

@Michael569

What are the risks of doing a heavy metal detox when I still have gut issues?

I have a 2 week term break from school in a few days. This is a small window of opportunity I can take to do a heavy metal detox. 
 

1 hour ago, puporing said:

Hmm.. based on that I'll just point out that there is often a link between gut health and mental health (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7510518/). 

I know.

[Vision]

@Michael569 

Do you think it’s worth doing two Heavy Metal Toxicity tests right now even if I am not certain I will start a detox soon?

At least I would know whether I have Heavy Metal Toxicity.

[flowboy]

@Vision  Notice how you're ignoring all answers except the one you already had in mind, which no one suggested to you.

If you want to do a heavy metal detox, just go do it.

[Vision]

33 minutes ago, flowboy said:

@Vision  Notice how you're ignoring all answers except the one you already had in mind, which no one suggested to you.

If you want to do a heavy metal detox, just go do it.

@flowboy

I don’t see myself ignoring any answers, I’m asking questions. But I’m open to feedback.  
 

Unlike something like a carnivore diet, a heavy metal detox isn’t something I can just jump into. If I mess it up, I can be even worse than before. Through research and some videos I’ve seen that some people advise against doing a heavy metal detox until your gut health is fully resolved. 
 

Since I still have issues with my gut, I need to be strategic about how I go about this.

So I’m asking if it’s worth doing a heavy metal toxicity test even if I am not going to be doing one soon. Just to know whether it’s something I have.

The risk comes with the second heavy metal toxicity test where I need to take a chelating agent to provoke the heavy metals. I don’t know how well my body will tolerate that.

[Ulax]

I'd look into the most modern trauma therapies.

Such as somatic experiencing, internal family system therapy. The body keep the score is a book that is useful for understanding the different modalities.

[Michael569]

7 hours ago, Vision said:

@Michael569 

Do you think it’s worth doing two Heavy Metal Toxicity tests right now even if I am not certain I will start a detox soon?

At least I would know whether I have Heavy Metal Toxicity.

I would defer with the answer to guys who have done the protocol and have way more knowledge about the chelation process than I do @Average Investor @Space @The0Self

Also what @Ulax said above. Internal  Family Systems is a method worth exploring. I have recently started applying this method to myself and it feels like vacuum cleaning your house with a weak machine for years and then getting a Dyson. "holly shit where is all this stuff coming from, I thought I did all the work" that's how it felt. Would highly recommend giving IFS a shot alongside what you already do in terms of health recovery. A good way to start is to read "no bad parts" by Richard Schwartz. But you gotta do the exercises, this is not a "read only" book. This is a workbook and you can't skip a single exercise.

 

[Average Investor]

11 hours ago, Vision said:

Do you think it’s worth doing two Heavy Metal Toxicity tests right now even if I am not certain I will start a detox soon?

At least I would know whether I have Heavy Metal Toxicity.

If you were going to do a provoked urine test, then you would want to do a round with it. I would not do a provoked urine test unless you are ready to start. Even then I would not recommend a provoked urine test. There is no way that you are going to know how toxic you are from a test like that, but simply how much you are excreting. So you will know if it is working or not. It could suggest that you have higher levels of some things. However, even a recent exposure could skew that result. 

[Anirban657]

I had anhedonia when I was depressed. The doctors prescribed me medication and I got cured. Now I am fine and happy and enjoying pleasurable activities like everyone else. It can be cured.

[Vision]

19 hours ago, Ulax said:

I'd look into the most modern trauma therapies.

Such as somatic experiencing, internal family system therapy. The body keep the score is a book that is useful for understanding the different modalities.

@Ulax Thanks. What is somatic experiencing? And did you work with an IFS Certified Therapist from the IFS Institute?

 

17 hours ago, Michael569 said:

I would defer with the answer to guys who have done the protocol and have way more knowledge about the chelation process than I do @Average Investor @Space @The0Self

Also what @Ulax said above. Internal  Family Systems is a method worth exploring. I have recently started applying this method to myself and it feels like vacuum cleaning your house with a weak machine for years and then getting a Dyson. "holly shit where is all this stuff coming from, I thought I did all the work" that's how it felt. Would highly recommend giving IFS a shot alongside what you already do in terms of health recovery. A good way to start is to read "no bad parts" by Richard Schwartz. But you gotta do the exercises, this is not a "read only" book. This is a workbook and you can't skip a single exercise.

Thank you! Did you work with an IFS Certified Therapist from the IFS institute Michael?

@Ulax @Michael569 Do you guys think it’s plausible to think that one can have lots of trauma but not be aware of it?

[Vision]

12 hours ago, Average Investor said:

If you were going to do a provoked urine test, then you would want to do a round with it. I would not do a provoked urine test unless you are ready to start. Even then I would not recommend a provoked urine test. There is no way that you are going to know how toxic you are from a test like that, but simply how much you are excreting. So you will know if it is working or not. It could suggest that you have higher levels of some things. However, even a recent exposure could skew that result. 

@Average Investor So is the only point of the test to see whether the chelating is actually working?

Why would you not recommend a provoked urine test altogether exactly? 

11 hours ago, Anirban657 said:

I had anhedonia when I was depressed. The doctors prescribed me medication and I got cured. Now I am fine and happy and enjoying pleasurable activities like everyone else. It can be cured.

@Anirban657 What medication were you prescribed? How long did you have to take it for to get cured?

It feels kind of surreal to see anecdotes like these. I’ve only had negative experiences with the medication they gave me. I think they are a hit or miss. A common cause of anhedonia from what I’ve seen on the subreddit is SSRIs. 

[Michael569]

2 hours ago, Vision said:

Thank you! Did you work with an IFS Certified Therapist from the IFS institute Michael?

No, just with the book. You could totally find a therapist but I found the book is a greastep-by-step guide to do this work yourself. Ofcourse you don't get a feedback that a therapist would give you and the depth of going solo is limited but it is a good start and you will see whether this stuff works for you or not and if it does you can always go private to go deeper and further. 

But really, all these tips we are all sharing are just tools.  From my experience, mental health usually requires a set of "tools" to be corrected. No one things works on its own. Diet does not work on its own neither does trauma work nor does chelation. You gotta combine things, but I know you already are doing that. From what I observed it seems tho that you are looking for that ONE holy grail. The ultimate probiotic or the ultimate technique and the truth is that it may be a set of practices, things and techniques. Mental health requires a combination of biochemical, lifestyle, spiritual and psychological approach. I don't believe one of those alone will do it. Both physical and spiritual body need to be addressed at the same time and if this is something that's been going on for a while, it may take some time to be corrected.