[kanasi]

Hi all!

Does the following sound more like depressive anhedonia, or ADHD?

I seem to be trying to escape things I find anxiety-inducing or too troublesome by either hyperfocusing on a new research topic or hopping around between habit websites, which are at least mildly interesting and keep my mind occupied. I'm perfectly capable of appreciating small pleasures like good food, nice weather, etc. Meanwhile, no tactile hobby I've tried to pick up in my entire lifetime has ever become habit regardless of how interesting it is to me as a concept. I seem to find most activities unrewarding unless there's some direct positive result (especially opportunities for praise) I can strive for. (Fear has been a motivator of sorts, too, but leads to anxiety and/or depression.)

So what do you think? Also, feel free to share your experiences...

[elevatedsoul]

im going through the exact same thing

i try to tell my doctors but they dont seem to hear me

im tired of trying to pass time and not enjoying anything

[kanasi]

Originally Posted by elevatedsoul

im going through the exact same thing

i try to tell my doctors but they dont seem to hear me

im tired of trying to pass time and not enjoying anything

That sucks. Do you have an idea if you're just bored or unable to derive pleasure though? I think that's the difference between ADHD "boredom" (is there a better word for this, anyone?) and anhedonia.

For example, the only thing I think I might have anhedonia (lack of pleasure in something you used to enjoy) with is listening to music. Even that might be an ADHD thing though, because I have a hard time tolerating music that I don't absolutely LOVE, even though you have to in order to find new stuff... and of course I always want to find new stuff.

So anhedonia or boredom or both? What do you think you've got?

[elevatedsoul]

anhedonia and adhd
i dont get any enjoyment from anything, including masturbation or drugs

i am an empty shell of what i use to be, i maybe am going through a depressive phase ... i miss smiling and enjoying things, i hope im not permanently broken and that i can get myself back

the medicine im taking might be causing me to be super numb

[kanasi]

Originally Posted by elevatedsoul

anhedonia and adhd
i dont get any enjoyment from anything, including masturbation or drugs

i am an empty shell of what i use to be, i maybe am going through a depressive phase ... i miss smiling and enjoying things, i hope im not permanently broken and that i can get myself back

the medicine im taking might be causing me to be super numb

Oh I see now. I'm sorry, I hope you can find something that works better for you. Definitely sounds like severe anhedonia. I agree that could be a side effect of one (or a combination) of your medications. I suspect Zoloft did it to me (including after I stopped taking it), and that's supposed to be one of the milder SSRIs. For me, anhedonia persisted (but didn't worsen) UNTIL I made the choice to eat well (with nutrition for brain health and reducing inflammation taking priority). I also don't have chronic or frequent low mood anymore. Whenever I do feel down it lasts for a couple of days max and is always in response to a recent disheartening life event. Are you eating well enough, yourself? (Not just to keep you full but to get all the nutrients your body needs, and preferably some probiotic foods for their benefits as well?)

As you can see, I'm coming to believe that some (probably most) of what I thought was anhedonia was actually better explained by poorly managed ADHD (which I have yet to be diagnosed with). In some areas, if something wasn't interesting enough for me to hyperfocus on it (like the music example), it wasn't worth it to me at all. In other areas, I was probably unmotivated due to not having a structured environment in which to participate in the thing I undertook.